Irwin Mitchell Raises £7,000 For West Of England MS Therapy Centre
A team of dedicated fundraisers from the Bristol office of law firm Irwin Mitchell has been running, rowing and raffling their way to raise £7,000 for the West of England Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre in Bradley Stoke.The MS Centre was the Charity of the Year for Irwin Mitchell during 2011 and has benefited from a host of activities that have taken place over the past 12 months.
The £7,000 raised by the team of solicitors is particularly welcome as the charity has now moved into its new £1.13million centre at Bradley Stoke, and needs to continue to raise funds for the day-to-day running of the facility.
As well as holding numerous raffles and event days, Irwin Mitchell fundraisers went the extra mile by running the Bristol 10K in May. They also flexed their intellectual muscles during the firm’s big quiz, which took place across all UK offices at the same time.
The biggest single fundraising event saw a team of 20 from Irwin Mitchell taking part in the Bristol Dragon Boat Festival in September which raised £3,000 alone.
Deborah Bigwood, a lawyer at Irwin Mitchell’s Bristol office, said the team has enjoyed working hard for the charity which has been serving the community for more than 25 years.
She said: “We have really enjoyed working with the MS Therapy Centre throughout 2011 to raise funds for a charity that works so hard for the people it supports with MS.
“Being in a position to support a Bristol-based charity such as the MS Therapy Centre is very important to us as a business, as we are keen to build strong relationships within the community. Raising vital funds is something we can all get involved in to make a real difference.”
The new facility at Bradley Stoke will support up to 600 people with MS every year in Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and surrounding areas.
The charity has always relied entirely on donations to enable it to support people living with MS and is continuing its appeal for funds to ensure it can provide the services at the new centre at Bradley Stoke.
Janet Epplestone, from the MS Therapy Centre, said: “We are extremely grateful to Irwin Mitchell for all the support we’ve received as their Charity of the Year for 2011.
“It is partnerships such as these with businesses who have an interest in the community where they are based, which makes such a big difference.
“At a time when we are settling in to our fantastic new centre at Bradley Stoke, this kind of funding boost is hugely appreciated by everybody at the charity and those who use the centre.”
The Bradley Stoke MS Therapy Centre will provide specialised physiotherapy, oxygen treatment, reflexology, aromatherapy, botox injections to relieve muscle spasms, acupuncture and counselling.
It also has relaxation facilities to provide space for social interaction ensuring people with MS can continue to live their lives.