Founder of Liverpool brand marketing specialist Wild Thang talks of how proud he and his team are to be backing the work of the John Haynes Foundation. Tony McDonough reports

Wild Thang founder Andrew Dwerryhouse says he and his team could not be prouder to be supporting the efforts of the John Haynes Foundation which aims to help 1m people.

Earlier this week LBN reported how more than £36,913 was raised for the John Haynes Foundation following a gala dinner in Liverpool in September. Hundreds of guests attended the event at the Hilton Hotel in the city centre on Saturday, September 17. 

John Haynes was the founder of the Liverpool Coaching Academy. He supported and inspired a generation of entrepreneurs both here and overseas to, in his own words, “fly with the eagles”.

He took his expertise far and wide, operating as far afield as Australia and the Middle East. John died in December 2020 but left a legacy that will be long remembered. In 2021, a number of Liverpool city region business people decided to set up the John Haynes Foundation.

It has the aim of continuing his work and “transforming 1m lives”. The first gala fundraising dinner was held in September 2021.

John’s connection with Wild Thang, a brand marketing specialist in Bootle, stretches back almost a decade. Managing director Andrew Dwerryhouse says he was an inspiration to the whole Wild Thang team.

Speaking after John’s passing, Andrew told LBN: “John was a master mentor, but more importantly a special friend who believed in me and Wild Thang and helped us to realise our potential.”

Andrew and Wild Thang are now playing their part to help the John Haynes Foundation achieve its goals. The business was a platinum sponsor of the gala dinner, themed The Greatest Showman, and produced all of the branding material for the event.

“We were truly proud as a company and team to have not only been an official platinum sponsor of the gala but also the company that produced all the branding required for the whole event,” said Andrew. “We are especially proud that we could capture the essence of John who was ‘The Greatest Showman’.

“I think it’s safe to say that with more than £36,000 raised on the night, it surpassed everyone’s expectations.

“It was a spectacular evening which brought everyone together, spreading so much happiness and raising a huge amount of money to help John’s legacy live on to help others ‘Fly With The Eagles’.

“The nicest part of the evening was hearing from the Foundation’s chair Hilda Yarker about the progress that it’s made and the individuals it has already started to support. It was fantastic to be in a room filled with special like-minded people that want to make a difference.”

Headline sponsor of the dinner was Everton FC and those present heard passionate speeches about John Haynes from Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram and Paul Askew, chef patron and owner of the Art School in Liverpool.

Andrew added: “For nearly a decade John was a gigantic part of Wild Thang and over time became an integral part of our company family.

“As the famous quote goes ‘if you’re going to live, leave a legacy – make a mark on the world that can’t be erased’. The team and I are proud to be part of making sure his legacy lives on and John’s memory is never erased.”

Click here for more information about the foundation or if you would like to support its work.