Member Article

Chester lawyer gears up for charity bike challenge in Italy

A top lawyer from Chester will undertake a gruelling ride through the Italian countryside in an effort to raise vital funds for two Cheshire charities.

Helen Watson, Partner and Head of Employment Law at Chester Legal firm Aaron & Partners, will ride over 350km from Milan to Venice with a group of 60 women for the three-day challenge in May.

Helen, who has undertaken a number of fundraising challenges for a host of North West-based charities, has chosen to split the money raised between Wirral-based charity Claire House Hospice and Women V Cancer, a fundraising partnership between Breast Cancer Care, Ovarian Cancer Action and Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust.

She said: “I’ve been working really hard on my training to ensure I’m fully prepared for the ride. Although I have completed a number of bike treks over the past few years, I’m definitely not underestimating how difficult this challenge will be.

“I’m really excited to get back on the bike and get started, this is such a great opportunity to raise as much money as possible for two incredible charities. We will be riding through the Italian countryside, starting in Milan and finishing in beautiful Venice and these challenges are always such a fantastic way to see so much of the world.”

Helen is carrying out her training alongside her work as a Partner and Head of Employment Law at Chester-based law firm Aaron & Partners. Her role involves dealing with all aspects of employment law and managing a team of 12 that are highly regarded in the Legal 500 – a coveted list of the UK’s best law firms.

“My career has always been extremely important to me and I am incredibly passionate about the work I do. However, I believe it’s vital to have a good work-life balance and these challenges are something I love doing. They allow me to travel the world whilst helping raise awareness and funds for really worthy causes.

“Aaron & Partners have always been incredibly supportive and across the firm we have committed to support a number of causes through our corporate social responsibility strategy, including activities like this that make a tangible difference within the local community.”

Since losing a close friend to ovarian cancer eight years ago, Helen’s set about to help raise as much money as possible to support charities in finding a cure. Her individual fundraising efforts have helped raise more than £100,000 for a host of North West Charities, including Claire House Hospice where she is a long-standing board member and Trustee.

She continued: “I am so proud to be supporting Claire House Hospice, a Wirral based charity that works incredibly hard to support children with serious and terminal illnesses and their families. They have recently set about creating a new hospice in Liverpool to ensure they can reach as many people as possible.”

“Women V Cancer is such a fantastic charity that has helped a number of people close to me. I’ve supported the charity for many years, raising money to help fund their research into cures for breast, ovarian and cervical cancers.”

“I really love undertaking these challenges and it’s incredibly rewarding to know the money raised can go some way towards helping these charities to continue the fantastic work they do.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Anna .