Trailwalker team evolving from solicitors to super walkers

July 2, 2012 - PRLog -- Partner solicitors Tim Ogle and Claire Read and trainee solicitors Katy Humphreys and Calum Irvine are taking on the Trailwalker challenge for Oxfam and the Gurkha Welfare Trust.  Together, they will walk 100km across the South Downs through the night on Saturday, July 14.

Calum, who works in the Family Team, explained that the Birkett Long Trailwalkers have already beaten their initial £1,500 target. “We’ve been really overwhelmed by people’s generosity and have raised £2,800 already,” he said.  “We’re now going for a target of £3,500 and are currently in the top five corporate fundraisers in the challenge.

“All of us are quite active – I’ve previously cycled from Edinburgh to Lithuania, and Katy took part in the London to Brighton 2012 bike ride.  But we’re told that this is a very different type of challenge and is quite tough psychologically.”

The group trains together regularly, updating the Birkett Long blog about their experiences of mud, loss of toenails, blisters and “menacing bulls”.  Being such a challenging event, all groups are required to have a Support Team to provide essential backup including feeding and watering the team every seven to ten miles and offering encouragement during the event.

The Birkett Long Support Team contains friends, family members and colleagues including partner Justina Ridley, who plans to tweet throughout the event.

As well as being equivalent to two and a half marathons, the distance to be covered is the same as crossing the English Channel three times, walking 910 football pitches end to end or going round the Circle Line nearly four times on foot.

Calum added: “It’s going to be a really difficult challenge but we’re all determined to complete it.  We want to raise as much awareness and money as we can for these two important causes.”

The Gurkha Welfare Trust relieves poverty and distress amongst Gurkha ex-servicemen and their dependants. Money raised by Trailwalker will be used to provide financial and medical aid to the most destitute Gurkhas, while community aid projects in Nepal will also benefit.

Meanwhile, Oxfam will use the funds raised on projects such as the West Africa food crisis which is currently affecting 18 million people.

Birkett Long is a full service law firm with offices in Chelmsford, Colchester and Basildon.  With 22 partners, it provides a wide range of legal and financial services for business and individuals including personal injury, family law, insolvency, wills, probate and employment.  For more information, visit www.birkettlong.co.uk or call 01206 217300.