Law Firm Makes Donation Towards A New Hand-Bike
Irwin Mitchell’s Glasgow office has handed over a cheque of £1,000 to help a spinal injury fundraiser in his upcoming cycle challenge.
Elaine Russell from the law firm presented the donation to Alan Cook who will use the money to buy a new competition hand-bike. Mr Cook, who broke his spine in 2005, will use the new bike in a ride from John O’Groats to Land’s End.
Despite his injuries, Mr Cook maintains a passion for sport and has completed a number of activities to raise money for Spinal Injury Scotland, including a 500-mile cycle, skiing and sailing challenge.
Irwin Mitchell’s donation will help Mr Cook with his next challenge, which is to compete in the UK’s eight annual major classified hand-biking races.
Elaine Russell, partner at Irwin Mitchell, said: “I met Alan for the first time last December and to say he is an inspirational figure is an understatement – the amount of work he has done to raise money for SIS is staggering.
“He has also done a lot of work as a mentor and figurehead for SIS and Back Up, encouraging others to make sure they live their lives to the full after serious accidents. I think a lot of able-bodied people could learn a lot from him, too, in terms of his attitude and unrelenting lust for life.
“Our personal injury cases often highlight the impact that serious injuries can have on people’s lives and it’s incredible to see the positive way Alan has dealt with everything that’s come his way.
“Alan certainly hasn’t let his injuries dent or hamper his independence and he has maintained, if not increased, his activity levels. Our donation will go towards a bike that will allow him to be faster and more competitive in the sport that he loves.”
On receiving the donation, Mr Cook said: “After my injuries, achieving independence was my main goal but having done that, I wanted to push myself further.
“The rush I feel, for example, when skiing is amazing – especially because it allows me to leave my wheelchair behind. The same goes for cycling because it lets me regularly cover distances that may seem highly improbable given what happened to me in 2005.
“I enjoy hand-biking so much that going competitive is the next logical step and I am grateful to Irwin Mitchell for the donation that brings my goal a significant step closer.”