After a period of tragedy and mayhem in Merseyside business leader Andrew Dwerryhouse believes the incredible work of the John Haynes Foundation could help heal fractured communities. Tony McDonough reports
Liverpool city region business leader Andrew Dwerryhouse is urging people to support the work of the John Haynes Foundation to offer hope after recent despair.
In late September the now annual John Haynes Foundation Gala Dinner takes place in Liverpool to raise money to offer vital life opportunities for young people across Merseyside.
It is named after John Haynes, something of a legend in the local business world. He set up the Liverpool Coaching Academy which inspired a generation of entrepreneurs in Merseyside and farther afield.
John died in December 2020 and in 2021 a number of Liverpool city region business people decided to set up the John Haynes Foundation with the aim of continuing his work and “transforming 1m lives”.
In the last year alone the foundation has worked with the City of Liverpool College and Wirral Metropolitan College, where it has delivered its Accelerated Learning (AL) programme to more than 600 apprentices.
And its Striving for Success programme has supported adults returning to education with self-development and career progression. Some 250 students have accessed the programme so far in 2024.
Andrew Dwerryhouse played a key role in setting up the foundation. He is the founder and managing director of fast-growing Bootle branded marketing materials manufacturer Wild Thang.
Multiple members of the Wild Thang team, including Andrew himself, received coaching from John Haynes and he inspired them to “fly with the eagles”.
On Saturday, September 28, the 2024 Gala Dinner will take place at the Hilton Hotel in Liverpool city centre to raise more money for the work of the foundation. And Andrew believes the events of the past two weeks have made that work more important than ever.
On Monday, July 29, Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar were all killed in an horrific stabbing incident in Southport.
In the days that followed there was violence and mayhem on the streets of Southport, Liverpool and other locations across the country. However, since then communities across Merseyside have come together to support each other.
Local people in Southport came out to repair damage to the mosque and hundreds of thousands of pounds have been donated to Spellow Lane Library in Walton after it was damaged by fire.
“When we look back on the past couple of weeks it is too easy to despair,” said Andrew. “But I have also found the reaction of countless local people awe-inspiring. It’s clear how much people value their communities.
“Liverpool city region’s social and economic problems go back much further. John Haynes believed everyone deserved life chances, whatever their background and know he would have been first inline to offer his support within the community.”
Andrew added: “Since we founded the foundation in 2021 it has already achieved amazing results. Every day through its work young people from across Merseyside are being shown how they can maximise their potential and prosper.
“And it als also helps them build resilience which will help them overcome negative thoughts or even feelings of despair or indeed loss that can arise when tragic events such as the one’s we have all witnessed over the past weeks.
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“John was such an inspiration to everyone here at Wild Thang. He helped instil in us a passion for not just the business and our own careers but also for reaching out to support and make a difference in our own local communities, even in the most challenging of times like this.
“It becomes even more critical to come together and support one another at a human level which is something Liverpool city region does so well.
“That outlook has become embedded in what we like to call ‘the Wild Thang way’. We send our full teams thoughts and prayers to all those who have been effected across the city region, but especially the families.
“That is why the John Haynes foundation is so special and close to our hearts. I would urge as many people as possible to support the foundations incredible work in any way possible.”