In Brief: Billion pound panel members revealed; Dickinson Dees launches charity match; and more

THE Yorkshire Mafia has revealed three members of the Billion Pound Panel that will feature at its conference in March.

Huddersfield Town chairman Dean Hoyle, Freeserve founder Ajaz Ahmed and Attick co-founder James Sommerville will be on the panel of entrepreneurs offering delegates their business insight.

Run in the style of BBC’s Question Time, the Billion Pound Panel will form one part of The Yorkshire Mafia Conference, which is taking place on March 15 at the Royal Armouries in Leeds.

In 1993 Mr Hoyle together with wife Janet began selling cards from the back of a van before launching greetings card retail outlet Card Factory. Earlier this year the couple sold the business to Charterhouse for a reported £350m. 

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GRANT Thornton’s Leeds office is spreading the Christmas spirit by donating food parcels to community group RAISE, which runs services to homeless people through St. Anne’s Resource Centre in Leeds.

The accountancy firm aims to donate enough items to create 50 food parcels for people aged 18 and over who will use the centre over the Christmas period.

Jill Ambrazaitis from Grant Thornton has been coordinating the project.

She said: “Every year we partner with a local community group to help provide gifts and essentials to those people who are less fortunate than us, and to hopefully make their Christmas one of good cheer.

“We chose RAISE because it supports those who are homeless or live in temporary accommodation in the city. Shelter and food are the most essential of human requirements at this time of year.”

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LAW firm Dickinson Dees has launched an innovative match-making service for charities.

The firm, which has a national charities team based in York, wants to help charities wishing to merge to find other organisations in a similar position.

Once registered with the charity match service, charities will be put in contact with any compatible matches found by the law firm.

There is no obligation for the charities to either merge or collaborate with another organisation and the service is free of charge.

Ros Harwood, head of the charities and independent schools team at Dickinson Dees, said: “Whilst the economic downturn has hit some charities exceptionally hard, it has lead to positive changes in the way they conduct their business. Some have decided to merge and others are thinking about merging. That is where our new service comes in.”

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A CAROL service in Leeds city centre has raised nearly £300 for St Gemma’s Hospice.

Tim Parr, president of West Yorkshire Society of Chartered Accountants, welcomed the business community and the general public to Leeds Cathedral for the annual service hosted by the society.

Local TV personality Christine Talbot from Calendar, the Lord Mayor of Leeds Coun James McKenna, David Parkin from TheBusinessDesk.com, and Elizabeth Baxter from St Gemma’s joined Mr Parr for the traditional carol service readings.

Cathedral Dean Mgr Philip Moger led the service, accompanied by the Rev Rob Hinton, the Church of England’s minister to the business community in Leeds.

A quintet from the West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service and the Leeds Cathedral Children’s Choir performed a number of musical pieces.

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