27 May 2009
Over the next few months, four
employees from the IRIS Meridian Law team are picking up the
charity baton, raising money from participation in sporting events
for their elected charities.
2009 is proving a popular year for charitable exploits within
the IRIS Legal division. Already this year, two members of the team
have completed the Coast-to-Coast cycle route from Whitehaven to
Sunderland and Water Aid Trail 100 hike up Ben Alder.
The first sporting enthusiast is Fiona Hamilton, Professional
Services Manager based at IRIS Meridian Law’s Fleet Street office,
who participated in the Etape Caledonia event on 17th May for the
second year running.
Fiona explains: “The Etape Caledonia course covers a distance of
81 miles and total ascent of 1,949 metres across the beautiful
Highland Perthshire countryside, taking in Lochs Tummel and Rannoch
along the way, although I wasn’t in a position to appreciate my
locations at the time!
It was a very challenging event because the closed road
regulations demand a minimum average speed of 14 mph throughout.
This was fine on the downhill sections of the course, but there
were quite a few nasty ascents. However, not only was I determined
to finish the course, but I also wanted to beat last year’s time.
No pressure then!
The day was slightly marred by sabotage, with carpet tacks
placed across sections of the course by protestors angered by the
roads being temporarily closed to other traffic. I somehow managed
to avoid the tacks, but there were hundreds of cyclists affected by
punctures and they had to halt the race for about an hour and a
half while the road was made safe again. This meant that the
timings were skewed but I think I completed the course in around 4
hours 45 minutes – an hour faster than last year. There’s still
room for improvement next year though! By achieving a personal best
time and raising over £425 for McMillan Cancer Support, I can now
rest my worn muscles a happy woman!”
The second sporting event is the 5k Standard Chartered Great
City Race on 16th July. IRIS Meridian Law has entered a team of 3
staff comprising Paul Billings, Jordan Manley and Fiona Hamilton.
The fourth team member is Jasmin Dodson from the IRIS Not For
Profit division.
Paul Billings, Implementation Analyst, adds: “The Great City
Race takes place in several notable city landmarks such as St
Paul’s Cathedral, Tower 42 and the Bank of England. But, like Fiona
on the Caledonia, we won’t be best placed to enjoy the sights when
running! The Race is really well attended with a great line up of
city chambers and law firms entering teams, so we thought we’d
enrol a Meridian Law group and join them.
The Race’s beneficiary is Seeing is Believing, which is a global
initiative to help tackle avoidable blindness. It’s staggering,
knowing that 75% of blindness can be prevented given the right
treatment, but those in the world’s poorest countries can’t afford
treatment, however small the cost. This is where Seeing is
Believing comes in.
All fundraising will be matched by Standard Chartered Bank,
which is all the more incentive to raise as much sponsorship money
as possible. It’s a team effort – we’re in it together and are
supporting each other with all the preparatory training. There’s no
question of anyone not completing the run because the three other
team members will be offering moral support throughout the race.
I’m confident that between us, we’ll raise a substantial amount for
Seeing is Believing, which makes it all worthwhile.”
If you would like to belatedly sponsor Fiona by making a
donation for McMillan Cancer Support from her Etape Caledonia
event, please visit this secure website: www.justgiving.com/feefeelafemme09.
To sponsor the Meridian Law team in the 5k Chartered City Race
for charity Seeing is Believing, please email Paul Billings direct
at paul.billings@iris.co.uk.
Download
the "All in the Name of Charity" press release
