South West solicitor goes Far East for charity

A Gloucestershire solicitor has put her best foot forward to complete a trek along the Great Wall of China. Helen Duthie, a family, divorce and children solicitor at Tayntons LLP has helped raise over £8,000 for the Parkinson’s Disease Society with her friend Lisa Prior, an accounts manager originally from Swindon but now based in Halesowen.

The duo formed a group of 34 trekkers who travelled to China in early October to commence their five day hike, walking an average of 20 kilometres a day and setting up camp every evening. Experiencing hot days and very cold nights, Helen and Lisa braved the elements and limited bathroom facilities but then enjoyed a celebratory day in Beijing to end the trek.

Helen smashed her original target of £2800 by organising a number of fundraising events throughout the summer period, including an inter-Chambers quiz in Bristol. In July, teams of barristers from Albion, St John’s and Queen’s Square Chambers went head-to-head in a trivia music quiz, raising just under £300 in sponsorship. In a similar event in Cheltenham, law firms including Tayntons, Rickerbys and Rowbis helped to raise nearly £500 by auctioning a range of items from Gloucester Rugby shirts to gym passes.  

The Parkinson’s Disease Society is a charity close to Helen’s heart as her father has suffered with the disease for ten years. Prior to diagnosis, Iain, a retired teacher from Swindon was very active and enjoyed the outdoors, with a mountain leadership certificate and involvement in the Duke of Edinburgh awards. Helen’s mother, Linda is also chairperson of the Swindon and District Parkinson's Disease Society.

Paul Jackson-Clarke, director of fundraising at the charity said “We’re delighted 34 trekkers have taken part in this October’s China Trek. It’s fantastic that people like Helen are motivated to raise as much money as possible to improve the lives of people with Parkinson’s and fund essential research into finding a cure.”

Pleased to relinquish the walking boots for her standard high heels, Helen commented, “I wanted to do something that he would have loved to do. Trekking was never my natural idea of fun but thanks to a decent training plan, my fitness improved significantly. I’ve even signed up for a charity half marathon next year,” she added.

“It was an amazing experience. Lisa and I met some lovely people who we will keep in touch with to continue supporting the PDS”.

The Parkinson’s Disease Society is dedicated to providing support, advice and information for people with Parkinson’s disease, their carers, families and friends. It is a progressive neurological condition affecting movements such as walking, talking, and writing. For more information about the charity, see www.parkinsons.org.uk and www.justgiving.com/helenduthie1 if you’d like to make a donation.

For press enquiries, please contact Clare Berrisford, business development manager tel: 01452 509866, fax: 01452 505902 or email clare.berrisford@tayntons.co.uk