Members of staff from our Taunton have taken part in a 24 hour stationery exercise bike charity event in aid of the NSPCC.
By the end of the event they had clocked up 715 miles and helped raise nearly £4,000.
£1,918 was pledged by individual sponsors. The partners of Slee Blackwell LLP then matched this sum, making the total £3,837.
Those who donated money have been entered into a free prize draw. the prizes, which were generously donated by local businesses, included tickets to see Taunton Town FC.
Elizabeth Duncan and colleague Rachel Thain created and organised the event. They were delighted by the response, commenting:
“We deal with abuse claims, including cases of historical childhood sexual abuse. However by the time lawyers like us get involved most of the damage has already been done. The NSPCC do such wonderful work to prevent abuse from happening in the first place and this is a cause we all feel passionately about."
The team found cycling through the night difficult. They have now recovered but it will be some time before some of them will be able to face getting back in the saddle again.
Moira Smyth, the Chair of NSPCC Somerset West thanked Slee Blackwell:
"It has been a delight working with Rachel and Liz at Slee Blackwell. As a long term fundraiser for the NSPCC I know how child abuse can devastate lives and how the NSPCC can help. Rachel and Liz’s work supporting victims legally is another part of the complex set of needs of abuse victims. It is wonderful that their experience at work, together with their compassion, led them to set up this successful (if painful!) fundraising event for us.’
And Anna Keir, NSPCC fundraising manager for Somerset, added:
“The NSPCC relies on fundraising events to carry on our work protecting children, be it through our helplines or schools programmes. I’d like to thank Slee Blackwell and all the cyclists for their generous support, as well as everyone that has donated. The money helps the NSPCC continue their fight for every childhood.”