A month-long challenge by staff at Bristol-headquartered national law firm Burges Salmon has raised more than £23,000 for charities as it continues this year’s charitable theme of ‘no child goes hungry’.
Under The Big Challenge, teams from across the firm aimed to cover the equivalent of the distance between its Bristol and Edinburgh offices – 356 miles – by walking, running, cycling or other means, all within government guidelines in place at the time.
By the end of the four-week challenge, more than 19,300 miles had been collectively covered, equating to approximately 27 roundtrips between the offices.
With colleagues, family and friends sponsoring the participants, a total of £23,500 was raised, including Gift Aid, which will be donated to support Bristol charities Feeding Bristol, FareShare South West and Help Feed Bristol, as well as Scotland’s children’s charity Aberlour.
The firm, which recently gained a platinum ‘We invest in people’ accreditation by Investors in People, the international standard for people management, for its commitment to its people, said the challenge was an example of the way it had supported its employees during Covid-19, including bringing teams together to contribute to a united cause and to get active and enjoy the outdoors.
Burges Salmon partner Sian Edmunds, pictured, who heads the firm’s charity committee, said: “We are very proud of the enthusiasm with which so many of our people approached The Big Challenge and which undoubtedly enabled us to raise such a huge sum for our charitable theme ‘no child goes hungry’. 
“Covid-19 has highlighted more than ever the importance of supporting charities that are helping to enable access to good-quality, safe and nutritious food for all.
“We’re pleased to be donating our fundraising to four such charities in Bristol and Edinburgh, which we hope can make a difference and support the incredible work they do.”
Burges Salmon employees are encouraged to contribute to the local community through volunteering, charitable fundraising, offering pro bono legal advice, as well as taking up board-level trustee and school governor opportunities.
Last year the firm, which employs 800 people in its Bristol HQ and London and Edinburgh offices, was recognised by Business in the Community as a Responsible Business Champion.
