5 Minutes With Michael Josephson MBE
The Cheshire Magazine talks to entrepreneur and philanthropist Michael Josephson MBE about his unique role as Vice Chairman of Patrons at Variety, the Children’s Charity and his dedication to raising millions of pounds for disadvantaged children in the North West
Michael Josephson MBE Vice Chairman of Variety Patrons
Cheshire businessman and entrepreneur Michael Josephson doesn’t do things by halves. When he decided to dedicate his time to raising money for good causes, he put his heart and soul into. His spirit and determination has seen him raise over a staggering £4 million for disadvantaged children in the North West of England.
Michael’s work and commitment to fundraising for charity has seen him be awarded an MBE as well as the Freedom of the City of London, another huge accolade for this dedicated man.
In 2015 Michael was honoured with a Variety Legend of Industry Award along with some other fantastic people, including Falklands hero Simon Weston OBE, Laurence Jones MBE of UK Fast and Steve Morgan CBE of Redrow raising £180,000 on the night and was also invited to be Vice Chairman of Patrons at Variety, the Children’s Charity.
Building The Patrons Programme
Michael launched Patrons in the North West two years ago with a dinner that took place in the Midland Hotel Tea Rooms in Manchester. He invited several like-minded people to the event to discuss how becoming a Patron of Variety would help so many children here in the North West to have a much brighter future. That night he engaged with six Variety Patrons from the Northwest.
Summer Ball
Over the years Michael has become synonymous with spectacular fundraising events. In 2018 he launched his inaugural Michael Josephson MBE Summer Ball.
The charity dinner, held at the Hilton Manchester Deansgate, raised over £250,000. At this year's Summer Ball in June (headlined by Glaswegian chart-toppers Texas) Michael raised an incredible £318,900 for his chosen charities, one of which is Variety, the Children’s Charity. Looking ahead to next year, Michael’s confirmed Saturday 6 June as the date for the Summer Ball held at the Hilton Manchester, Deansgate. Artistes for the 2020 Ball will shortly be announced.
Michael is currently looking for support for the ball for unique auction prizes, sponsors. Very limited places left with a waiting list you will need to be quick to secure your tickets. If you’d like to get involved, please contact Michael directly on michael@stocksmcr.com.
Explaining the reasons behind his philanthropy Michael said: “My own disadvantaged and abusive childhood puts me in the unique position of being able to understand how difficult life can be for children and young people from similar backgrounds.
“I believe all children should have the same opportunities and if I can change the life of only one child then I would consider my life to have been worthwhile in making a difference to so many.
“Variety, the Children's Charity is dear to my heart and I will continue to do all I can to support their invaluable work”.
Transforming Lives
Thanks to Michael’s tireless dedication to charity, the lives of countless children have been transformed. Specifically, he is responsible for providing much-needed specialist equipment including wheelchairs, which have enabled disabled youngsters to take part in sports like football and tennis.
One of Michael’s most recent donations was of a specially adapted sports wheelchair which was presented to a tennis-mad young boy called Zac Corbishley. This meant that instead of just watching from the side-lines, Zac was able to fully participate in the game. He’s now a keen player and competitor in the sport. A world which was closed off to him, through no fault of his own, is now fully accessible to him, thanks to the great work of Michael Josephson.
Michael also generously donated a Variety Sunshine Coach to Cromwell High School in Dukenfield Cheshire, which enabled the children to participate in social activities and trips that they previously wouldn’t have been able to do.
He has also provided an eye gaze to a child who could only communicate by eye movement. It means he can now communicate faster, which reduces his frustration. The work being done really is changing lives.
Lyn Staunton, Northwest Development Director at the charity explains: “Having Michael as Vice Chairman of Variety Patrons is something of which we are very proud. His energy and commitment is second to none. The impact he’s having on the lives of disabled and disadvantaged children is there for all to see.”
Chief Barker of Variety Harold Tillman CBE said: “From the moment I met Michael he immediately struck me as a wonderful man with a very big heart. His passion to help children shines through everything and I knew he would be a brilliant Vice Chairman of Patrons of Variety.”
Patrons Dinner
To continue building this programme, Michael is looking to host another exclusive Patrons dinner in 2020, which again will be an exclusive invite-only event where he hopes to engage with future Patrons.
The support of the patrons is hugely important to the charity and covers every aspect of the work the charity does and Michael's support is paramount to its success in the North West.
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