Staff from the Bristol office of national law firm Clarke Willmott LLP are taking on a 100-mile challenge over three days, to raise money for a leading muscular dystrophy charity in support of a colleague whose son has been diagnosed with the disease.
Called SWAY100 the charity trek will see 30 participants walk, run and jog along the Samaritan’s Way from Lynton in North Devon to the Clifton Suspension Bridge over the May Day Bank Holiday.
The challenge will raise funds for Duchenne UK, which has been named as the firm’s charity of the year following the diagnosis of colleague Oliver Smedley’s son with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).
DMD occurs in childhood and almost always affects boys who tend to be diagnosed before the age of five. There are around 2,500 patients in the UK and an estimated 300,000 sufferers worldwide.
Martin Palmer, Clarke Willmott’s Director of Business Development & Marketing, is organising SWAY100. He said: “This challenge is the equivalent of three back-to-back ultra-marathons of around 33.3 miles a day so it will be quite a test!
“Any pain experienced over the 100 miles is nothing compared to the challenges faced by the Smedley family and those facing a Duchenne diagnosis.
“Duchenne UK relies solely on charitable donations for their work in finding new treatments and a cure for this cruel disease.
“We’ve already raised around £12,500 for the event and hope to reach a total of £20,000 by the time we cross the finishing line.”
The challenge will also be raising money for Unseen UK, an anti-slavery charity which was Clarke Willmott’s chosen charity last year. The total raised will be split equally between the two charities.
Stephen Rosser, CEO of Clarke Willmott, said: “We are so proud of the SWAY100 team who have trained really hard to take on this challenge on behalf of a charity which has become very close to our hearts recently.
“We have all been in awe of the Smedley family’s resilience in the face of the adversity they have faced and their support for Duchenne UK, which is committed to do all that it can to help those who are affected by this awful condition.
“Everyone at the firm is wishing the team all the best and we look forward to getting involved with the charity and in turn doing all we can to help it achieve its goals.”
To support the SWAY100 team you can donate here