Legal Experts Prepare For London To Brighton Trek

Five legal eagles from Sheffield are preparing to trek 100km from London to Brighton – to raise money for a charity dedicated to supporting blind and visually impaired ex-Servicemen and women

The intrepid volunteers, all from the Sheffield office of law firm Irwin Mitchell, will join more than 200 other fundraisers from across the country on 11 June – as they walk day and night in an attempt to complete the challenge in just 24 hours.

In doing so the lawyers and trainees hope to raise £1,000 for St. Dunstan’s, a charity which provides physical and emotional support to generations of armed forces personnel who have lost their sight as a result of war, age, accident, or illness. Irwin Mitchell is also the main sponsor of the walk.

St Dunstan’s offers rehabilitation and training to thousands of blind and visually impaired ex-Service personnel each year from its centres in Brighton, and Sheffield, offering training in IT, communication, mobility and independent living skills.  It will be opening another rehabilitation and training Centre in Llandudno, North Wales in the autumn.

Andrew Buckham, a solicitor in Irwin Mitchell’s specialist Armed Forces team in Sheffield, and who will drive the support car for the walkers, said: “St Dunstan’s is an amazing charity which provides vital support to hundreds of ex-service personnel each year. We are delighted to be able to raise money to help them and to be the walk’s major sponsor.

“If our team can meet our target to raise £1,000 it will be enough to pay for two specialist GPS devices, which can be used to help the visually impaired with navigation and orientation.

“Some of our team members have never walked further than a lap round our local shopping centre, so for these people in particular trekking 100km in less than 24 hours will certainly be a shock to the system.

“Nevertheless we’re committed to the challenge, and the pain is definitely a price worth paying if we are able to raise money to support such a fantastic charity.”

One former soldier who was helped by St Dunstan’s is Glen Edwards, who was injured in an explosion during a military training exercise in Wales in August 2009. Mr Edwards suffered a number of severe injuries, including losing his right arm and his sight in both eyes.

Irwin Mitchell’s specialist Armed Forces team is now working to secure funds to pay for Mr Edwards’ ongoing care and rehabilitation, and the firm recently obtained an interim payment to cover his care costs until the package is finalised.

The five team members who will take part in the walk are Robert Foster, Jenny Barton, Amy Clark, David Withers and Katrina Edwards. To make your contribution to the team’s fundraising efforts visit: http://www.justgiving.com/pilgr-IM-agers