Lawyers Will Be Joining Forces To Share Tarts For Troops In The Run Up To Armed Forces Day

By Suzanne Rutter

Daredevil fundraisers with a head for heights will be hosting a tea party with a difference to help raise money for armed forces charity Blind Veterans UK as it gears up to launch its Tarts for Troops fundraising campaign.

Irwin Mitchell’s armed forces team are hoping their Tarts for Troops Extreme Tea Party event on the 10-metre diving board at the Sheffield International Venues-run Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield on Monday, 24 June will inspire other fundraisers to don their pinny’s, brush off their weighing scales and bake some tasty tarts and cakes for their own Tarts for Troops event during the week long campaign which starts on Armed Forces Day, Saturday, 29 June.

The tea party with a difference will raise money for Blind Veterans UK, which used to be called St Dunstan’s and helps provide practical and emotional support to ex-Servicemen, regardless of when people served or how they lost their sight.

Terry Heaton, Centre Manager at Blind Veterans UK’s Sheffield Centre, based at Fulwood Road, will be attending the event where trainee solicitor Richard Shawcross will be making a splash as he dives into the pool.

Andrew Buckham, an associate solicitor at Irwin Mitchell’s Sheffield office, said: “Many of our clients at Irwin Mitchell have suffered terrible injuries while serving in the armed forces and we work closely with fantastic charities like Blind Veterans UK. We are really looking forward to Tarts for Troops Extreme Tea Party and hope as many people as possible will join us poolside at Ponds Forge so that we can raise a cup of tea in honour of those who have served in the armed forces.

“We hope to raise as much money as possible for the charity’s Sheffield centre in Fulwood and hopefully our event will encourage other people throughout the South Yorkshire region to host their own tea party.”

Blind Veterans UK’s Sheffield centre, which was opened by the charity in 2005, provides specialist training rooms and tailored rehabilitation courses as well as the opportunity for residents to boost their IT, communication mobility and independent living skills.

Since it was opened, thousands of people have benefitted from its services although fundraising is essential to help with the £600,000 a year running costs.

Tarts for Troops is Blind Veterans UK’s national fundraising campaign during which the charity for blind ex-service men and women asks people to bake tarts and hold tea parties to help raise funds for its vital work. The event will run until Friday, 5 July.

A whole host of celebrities have shown support for the campaign by providing tart recipes, such as Gregg Wallace, Gordon Ramsay and Lorraine Pascale.

Terry Heaton, Sheffield centre manager at Blind Veterans UK, said: “We are delighted that Irwin Mitchell has organised this fantastic event in celebration of Tarts for Troops, Blind Veterans UK’s annual fundraising campaign.

“The charity continues to be grateful for the support the firm has shown us since the partnership began in 2011. Alongside sponsorship of the charity’s 100K London to Brighton walk, the firm has provided us with meeting spaces and bespoke training for its welfare team. They also helped Blind Veterans UK upgrade the IT training suite at the Sheffield centre, with their staff even getting stuck in with some of the decorating!”

Read more information about Irwin Mitchell’s work in the community.