40 Members Of Staff Took On 36 Mile ‘Eck Of A Trek’ Walk For Local Charity

A Leeds law firm has raised thousands of pounds for a local charity which supports children and their families across the region after embarking on an epic 36 mile walk this summer.

Almost 40 members of staff from Irwin Mitchell’s Leeds office  took on the ‘Eck of a Trek’ challenge in June this year with the group walking from the law firm’s head office in Sheffield back to Leeds to raise funds for The Sick Children’s Trust’s Eckersley House.

Eckersley House offers a ‘Home from Home’ for families when children need to stay in hospital for treatment and is open 365 days a year, offering facilities to 23 families per night, which includes private bedrooms, direct lines to hospital wards and play rooms for siblings.

The charity relies entirely on fundraising and donations to continue providing these facilities to families in Yorkshire. A donation of £30 is enough to provide facilities for a family for a night and keep them together when a loved one is going through a medical procedure.

Rachelle Mahapatra, an expert medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell’s Leeds office, who took part in the trek, said:

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“The team who took part in the walk are incredibly proud to have raised a significant amount of money for a charity close to our hearts.

“Eckersley House provides crucial support for families who are going through a very tough time. We work with a lot of families who use the services of Eckersley House and we know just how important it is to have a comfortable and safe place to stay at such a difficult time.

“We have experienced first-hand the benefit of their service to our clients and how having somewhere close to the hospital is a relief so they can concentrate on supporting their child in hospital.” Rachelle Mahapatra - Partner

Jane McHale, House Manager at Eckersley House, said: “We are so grateful for the help and support from Irwin Mitchell and amazed by their efforts to raise so much money for Eckersley House.

“The funding will be used to sponsor two of our bedrooms which are used by families when their children are being treated at hospital and provide a safe and comfortable environment for families and their loved ones. They also have direct lines to the hospital wards to keep in touch with their children.”