Vincents’ runners get muddy for charity

Nothing will stand in the way of the charitable efforts of a hardy team of runners from Lancashire’s Vincents Solicitors.

Not the obstacles of the 10k course of the Chain Runner challenge this past weekend, or even the acres of mud they sloshed through to complete the course.

More than £1,600 has been collected by the team of nine fearless fundraisers, which will be distributed to their seven nominated charities.

Pitted against teams from across the North West, including friends from Preston based accountancy firm WNJ Accountants and business support group the Business Clinic, the Vincents team completed the challenge at Wirrall Country Park on Saturday March 19.

Commercial solicitor James Yates led the Vincents team. He said: “The challenge was laid down at a recent meeting of the Business Clinic, and I was really pleased with the response of my colleagues wanting to get involved.

"We decided to raise money for our own individual charities and are over the moon to have collected over £1,600 through the phenomenal generosity of our friends, families, colleagues and associates.

“The event itself was really tough, cold and wet, but my fellow competitors showed great spirit and everyone crossed the finish line, despite the obstacles which included crawling through mud, sand and water, carrying logs, swinging on monkey bars, climbing over high walls, all over 10k though yet more mud."

The Vincents team includes staff from across the business, and saw 62-year-old Joyce Schofield from the Knott End office complete her first ever running event. She said: “I thought this looked like fun and I wanted to set myself a personal challenge to get fit and raise money for charity.

"The event was really hard work - the ground was soggy and we just sank in; and wading waist deep through a pond wasn’t pleasant - but we made it in the end and everyone felt fantastic to have completed the course, and I was really pleased to have raised almost £200 for Cancer Research.”

The rest of the team comprised Simon John, Nicola Coan and Sanya Mortorwala from the commercial department in Preston, residential specialists Talitha Murphy and Debbie Robinson from the Longridge office and Amy Whiteside from the Knott End office, and Rachel Simm from the Preston clinical negligence team who was running for Headway, the Lancashire brain injury charity.

The other charities to benefit are Cancer Research, Children with Cancer, Shelter, Cystic Fibrosis, Al-Imdaad Foundation and Preston homeless charity the Foxton Centre.

Phillip Gilmore, Vincents managing partner, said: “We’re really proud of what the team has achieved in completing this challenge and raising money for their favourite charities; it looked like a lot of fun but was clearly exhausting. We’re pleased to encourage any member of staff who wants to support a cause close to their hearts, and always glad to see them having a good time, particularly if that means getting covered in mud!”