Abuse Survivors Blog

Emmott Snell Solicitors Walking for Justice in 2022

Written by Jacqui Morton on 24 Aug 2022

Bedford Legal Walk 2022

Recent update: Due to the sad news of Her Majesty's death, and the scheduled date of the Bedford Legal Walk coinciding with her state funeral, a decision was taken to cancel the Bedford Legal Walk. Emmott Snell Solicitors would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who kindly made a sponsorship donation. We are currently looking into ways of doing the fundraising by some other means and will update all our supporters shortly.

Emmott Snell Solicitors are delighted to support and take part in the 2022 Bedford Legal Walk which is taking place on Monday 19 September 2022.

This is an annual 10K sponsored walk around Bedford organised by the Access to Justice Foundation and the Eastern Legal Support Trust. Previous years have seen the walk cancelled or taken place virtually due to Covid. We are delighted that this year the walk will return to normality and allow us to walk together with the other participants.

This year the walk will be led by the Deputy Mayor of Bedford, Cllr Charles Royden, the incoming Lord Lieutenant, the Bedford Police and Crime Commissioner, Festus Akinbusoye, HHJ Perusko, HHJ Kushner and DDJ Taylor.

The walk raises money for local charities/organisations which provide legal advice to those of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable people in our society. Due to increase poverty and recession and Covid the need for these has increased over the past few years. Meanwhile funding/support for these organisations has reduced particularly since the removal of much of legal aid for humanitarian or social welfare legal advice.

The legal walks which take place around the county are an important fundraising tool for the Access to Justice Foundation which is the UK’s only national charity solely focused on making and strategically allocating grant funding to the Free Legal Advice Sector. Free legal advice agencies provide essential support to the most vulnerable in our society. Raising funds could help:

  • Homeless people and families living in unacceptable housing conditions.
  • People facing unfair discrimination or dismissal in the workplace.
  • Women and children facing trafficking and labour exploitation.
  • Elderly people in need of support to stay living independently.

The need is now greater than ever, as living costs rise and many are or may be in the future forced to choose between eating and heating.

This year Emmott Snell Solicitor’s chosen charity is Just Us a local homeless charity who not only support individuals into housing but act to provoke a more reflective approach of the way we deal with homelessness as a society. 50% of all that we raise will be donated to Just Us with the remaining 50% going to the Eastern Legal Support Trust.

As in previous years a raffle will be held at the end of the walk. It is great fun and enjoyed by all and more importantly a good fundraiser. Prizes this year include wine, hampers, the services of a private chef, a Nordic walking lesson, brunch for 2 from Roosters in Bedford, wine, rucksack, confectionery and many more. There is certainly something for everything.

Emmott Snell hope that this worthwhile event will continue to grow each year and would encourage all local law firms and advice agencies to get involved. We encourage all local law firms and agencies to get involved both this year and in the coming years. The walk is an excellent opportunity to support access to justice for those most in need in our community and raise awareness about free legal advice.

If you would like to sponsor Emmott Snell Solicitors please do so here. Any amount is greatly appreciated.

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Topics: News

Jacqui Morton

Written by Jacqui Morton

Jacqui is known for her hardworking and careful approach to any legal problem, her excellent rapport with clients and professionals.