Why our company took part in the Take Steps challenge
Sarita Sharma, Solicitor at Irwin Mitchell tells us why she and her team took part in this year’s Take Steps Challenge. And how the challenge helped her while working from home during the pandemic.
We want to raise awareness of lung disease
At Irwin Mitchell our legal experts support people affected by lung conditions either through workplace illness or illness-related injury. We want to help boost the support services the British Lung Foundation and Asthma UK offer people living with lung disease, and so we have joined as partners for the next three years.
We took part in the Take Steps walking challenge in June, to introduce the work the British Lung Foundation and Asthma UK does to our company, and kick off the partnership by raising some money!
We are keen to raise awareness of the support groups the British Lung Foundation and Asthma UK offer. They provide hope, help and companionship to more than 2,250 people affected by all forms of lung disease, as well as those who care for them. Our legal experts support people affected by lung conditions and they will be chatting to these groups later this year at a Volunteer Conference.
Why Take Steps
I was fortunate enough to take part in the Take Steps challenge, a sponsored 100-mile walk, through our partnership with the British Lung Foundation and Asthma UK. Knowing the money that both I and Irwin Mitchell raised will make a difference to those living with lung conditions is amazing.
The challenge gave me that push to get outside more, and really appreciate and enjoy being outdoors. It gave me that additional invaluable time out of my day to step away from my laptop and switch off, which was very important having worked from home for the last 15 months and having to abide by the restrictions during the pandemic. It has also encouraged me to continue with my walks even after the challenge ended.
Both my colleague, David and I wanted to sign up to the ‘Take Steps’ initiative as we are both runners in our spare time. Alongside keeping fit, we wanted to show support for people with respiratory illnesses (and of the need for businesses to uphold health and safety laws).
It’s absolutely vital that people with respiratory illness don’t feel they have to suffer in silence. Help and support, which can make a real difference to people’s lives, is available and we felt that the Take Steps challenge was the perfect way to show our commitment and support for people with asthma and other lung conditions.
I suffer with mild asthma, and whilst my condition is not as severe as many other people living with lung conditions, on a number of occasions I have had unpleasant flare-ups after being in a highly polluted environment. I also have family members and relatives who have respiratory conditions. This is why the Take Steps challenge and the fight for cleaner air hit home for me and why I am keen to take part in the challenge!
You can find out more about our partnership with Irwin Mitchell and how they will be supporting our work and that of the British Lung Foundation with the aim of boosting the support services available to people living with asthma or lung disease on the BLF website.
Want to get involved in one of our challenges? Find out more today.
Donate today and help do 3 amazing things
for people with asthma
Asthma UK’s mission is to stop asthma attacks and cure asthma. We do this by funding world leading research, campaigning for improved care and supporting people to reduce their risk of a potentially life-threatening asthma attack. Will you help us do all this and more