The Big 40 Bash
Our Summer Event to Celebrate 40 Years
On Saturday 16th June, Ison Harrison staff and friends and family were invited to celebrate our firm’s 40th birthday at the Tetley Brewery in Leeds. 40 years of Ison Harrison was definitely going to be celebrated in style!
Where It All Started…
The year was 1978. The first IVF baby was born, The Bee Gees dominated the charts and in Leeds a new law firm opened – S.C. Harrison & Co. Founded by Stephen Harrison, this was the beginning of a local law firm which built on its early success and continues to be headquartered in Leeds as the firm we work for today, Ison Harrison. Now with 12 branches throughout Yorkshire, the year 2018 is a special one for our firm as we mark our 40th birthday and cement our name as one of the most recognised and established law firms in Leeds.
The Big 40 Bash
The 40th event kicked off at 2pm with hundreds of staff descending on the iconic Tetley Brewery. The weather was dry and people were in high spirits as they arrived, heading straight to the lobby to pick up a rather fetching Ison Harrison wristband and a drinks token, entitling us to a free glass of bubbly or beer at the bar. As a special treat for the event, we had our very own Ison Harrison 40th Anniversary Ale which proved a popular favourite on the day!
There was live music as people arrived, courtesy of local musician Katie Dean. Inside the brewery there was a large bar area with lots of seating, plus a separate area that was set up as a children’s cinema and also a dining area. Outside, there were bouncy castles and activities for the children, plus more seating. Lots of chatting, laughs and smiles all around as we all came together to celebrate our firm’s 40th anniversary. The atmosphere was great!
As the weather turned mid-afternoon and we saw a downpour of rain, it was the perfect time for us to grab some food from the buffet, of which there was great selection, with burgers, sausages, jacket potatoes and salad selections.
Nestled close to the cinema screen and dining area was a face painting table, with kind volunteers decorating the little ones’ faces with colourful designs. After the buffet, the queue for face painting got longer as everyone wanted to join in!
With the Secret Life of Pets showing on a big screen for the kids (which also had a few adults enjoying it too), many of us started to make our way back outside as the rain stopped and fun on the bouncy castles resumed.
Later in the day, a local band Frankly Jazz arrived complete with saxophonist which was the perfect accompaniment to the event.
The Big 40 Bash continued into the late evening, with many staff, friends and family choosing to stay and celebrate with us right to the end. It was lovely to see so many turn out for our 40th birthday, including staff from all our 12 branches, and we’re sure we can speak on behalf of everyone when we say we had a fantastic time.
Our birthday event for staff is just a small part of our 40th birthday activities this year, with the main focus being our “40 charities for our 40th year” campaign which will see us donate 40 gifts to 40 local charities in 2018. The shortlist is still to be decided – if you know a charity you would like to nominate, please click here!