Standing: Rachel Thomas of Hope House Children's Hospices,
Paul Styles of Bowyer Styles, Sarah Hawthorn of Severn Hospice.
Front: Robert Bertram of the County Air Ambulance) and Julia Bond
of MFG Solicitors
Seventeen volunteer long-distance hikers from two Telford firms
- led by a local lawyer who couldn't walk across her office in 2007
- raised a total of £2,405 for three Shropshire
charities.
Julia Bond, head of the Family Law Team at the Telford office of
MFG Solicitors, made the 13-mile trek over Long Mynd with
colleagues and a team from independent financial advisers Bowyer
Styles.
The walk raised the money for Hope House Children's Hospices,
Shropshire Air Ambulance and Severn Hospice.
The route was devised by Phil Spare, financial services manager
at Bowyer Styles.
"All three charities do a fantastic job in Shropshire and fully
deserve all the help they can get," said Julia, an associate
partner at MFG.
"It was an arduous walk with big hills to climb and turned out
to be three miles longer than we thought it would be.
"Everyone did well to complete it, especially when Phil added a
competitive edge by upping the pace towards the end," she said.
Julia, who suffered from arthritis in her spine and pelvis
following a car accident in her 20s, had a double hip replacement
in 2007. She has since been able to resume hobbies including
sailing, riding and walking.
Rachel Thomas, area fund raiser for Hope House Children's
Hospices, said: "It is particularly gratifying to receive funds
which have been raised by considerable personal endeavour and this
was an example of that."