Nick’s got the Y-Factor!

BIRMINGHAM’S professional community has produced a new singing sensation in the shape of Endless director, Nick Leitch, who triumphed at the city’s inaugural Y-Factor talent event.

The Birmingham corporate finance community’s take on ITV’s X-Factor competition raised over £26,500 for Mencap. Support in organising the event was given by Clearwater Corporate Finance, HBJ Gateley Wareing, DLA Piper, Barclays Corporate, Lloyds Development Capital, RBS, Harvey Ingram Solicitors LLP and Deloitte.

Nick Leitch won the most votes from the 450-strong crowd with his rendition of the Frankie Valli classic, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You. Andy Bird of Barclays Corporate came second with his performance of Robbie William’s Let Me Entertain You. The double act of Brendan McGeever from HBJ Gateley Wareing and Nigel Price from Begbies Traynor, finished in third place, singing The Beatles’ Back in the USSR.

Phil Burns, partner at Clearwater Corporate Finance in Birmingham, who performed on the night, said: “We were delighted to support the Y-Factor and Mencap, which is an extremely worthy cause that has seen great support from the city’s professionals. We hope that the runaway success of the inaugural event in Birmingham will see it go from strength to strength in the coming years, raising even more money for Mencap and unearthing the professional community’s hidden talent along the way.”

Marie Brown, regional fundraising manager at Mencap in the Midlands, commented: “We are overwhelmed with the support we received both before and during this highly entertaining event. The Y-Factor far exceeded our fundraising target, and the money raised will make a real difference in our work in supporting the 180,000 people in the West Midlands with a learning disability.”