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Paul Sams and Jonathan Whettingsteel celebrate at the end of their 19-mile walk for charity.
Published: July 10, 2023 | Updated: 7th July 2023
Dutton Gregory lawyers complete their charity walk – to onlookers’ delight!
Paul Sams and Jonathan Whettingsteel of Dutton Gregory Solicitors have managed to raise more than £2,500 for two local charities following their trek across Southampton.
As previously reported by Hampshire Biz News, Jonathan was made to walk the 19-mile distance in full Cat Woman attire, thanks to a 10-month-old bet that Southampton would finish above Paul’s team Newcastle in the Premier League.
They were relegated.
And so, the two set off from Fareham at 9:20am, racking up almost 90,000 steps between them before arriving in Romsey seven hours later and to much applause at 16:07pm.
The start and finish lines were chosen in honour of the duo’s respective causes – the Rainbow Centre in Fareham for Paul, and Romsey Opportunity Group for Jonathan.
Paul said: “What started as a throwaway, joke-style bet between Jonathan and I led to something far more important, bringing people together to raise funds for two organisations who really make a difference to people’s lives.
“I’m lucky to work with great people here at Dutton Gregory who spend time outside of their day job to help others.
“The collective support we give to help benefit others is awesome.”
Jonathan added: “Thank you to everyone who has donated, those who volunteer their time to help these two local charities, and all who came out on the day to either support or join us on the walk.
“Thanks also to all my colleagues, friends and family for the messages and making this happen… or making it so that we couldn’t change our minds!
“It was a struggle towards the end, but we were pushed on by everyone’s encouragement and the desire to raise as much money as possible for two vital causes that mean so much to Paul and myself.”
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Southampton Science Park hosts female entrepreneurs at two-day workshop
Female entrepreneurs and startup founders at Southampton Science Park came together recently for a workshop exploring ways to lay solid foundations for a profitable and successful business.
The fully funded Women Entrepreneur’s Workshop connected attendees with SETsquared coaches Sarah Stables, Aleksandra Love, and Tom Doidge.
Together, over the course of two days, they looked into various financial models, developed products and services, and identified new revenue streams.
Sarah said: “It’s clear that participants left feeling inspired with a plan for their future growth.
“Barriers to female entrepreneurship surfaced quite quickly and these need to be acknowledged and addressed to enable growth.
“Tailored events like this are a very positive step forward.”
The event was celebrated by Lucinda Lamont, the park’s Business Development Manager.
She added: “From the outset, I knew this event would be different from the other business events that we run, with several attendees needing to juggle family responsibilities and find childcare support before committing to be involved.
“So many women are seizing opportunities to set up their own businesses now and it’s clear that their leadership is bringing a whole new dimension to the entrepreneurial landscape.
“This trend must be encouraged and supported, and that’s why we were delighted to collaborate with the phenomenally successful SETsquared.”
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Barratt Homes marks 75 years of the NHS as it supports Southampton hospital
As the NHS turns 75 this July, the Southampton offices of Barratt Homes have donated a fitting £75,000 in aid of the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at University Hospital Southampton.
It follows another donation to Friends of PICU earlier this year in support of the family of one of its employees during the Strep A outbreak.
The Barratt team have also signed up to support their upcoming Family Fun Day – news welcomed by the charity’s Operations Manager Kerry Houghton.
She said: “We were delighted to receive Barratt’s help earlier in the year, and to have its support for our summer fundraiser is just fantastic.
“Our Family Fun Day will be raising some all-important funds for our charity, and we wouldn’t be able to do it without the help of our sponsors and supporters.
“A huge thank you to Barratt Homes from all of us here.”
The event takes place in Chandlers Ford on the afternoon of Saturday 5 August, promising stalls, games, refreshments, and plenty of family fun.
In addition to its work with Friends of PICU, Barratt Homes has also extended its Key Worker Deposit Scheme to help more NHS staff find an affordable home, and will be donating a further £75,000 split between three NHS charities.
