By solicitor Tom Carpenter
Outside of the day job there is plenty to get involved with at Burges Salmon. There is a range of different sporting clubs, from team sports such as hockey and football to more individual pursuits such as Pilates and yoga. One of the great advantages of having everyone based in a single office is that there is likely to be a large pool of likeminded people for an activity of your choosing.
One such club, and the one I personally have most to do with, is the running club.
Our running club generally heads out into Bristol at least once a week, with runs varying from leisurely jogs round the harbour, to specifically designed training sessions in the build up to a race. These training sessions vary from hill sessions up Constitution Hill (not for the faint hearted!), to interval training at local parks or along the river. All abilities are catered for with those new to running being able to sign up to our "walk to 5km” programme.
These runs aren’t just a good way of keeping fit and blowing off some steam at lunchtimes; they are a great way to meet a variety of people throughout the firm. Most areas of the firm are represented, with partners, associates, solicitors and trainees, as well as other business professionals, all battling through the sessions together.
The highlight of our season has to be the Welsh Castles Relay. This is a 2 day, 20 stage, 211 mile race across Wales, starting in Caernarfon and finishing in Cardiff. Every year Burges Salmon enters a team of 20 people, with each running a leg varying from 7-13 miles, competing against business teams as well as club athletes.
The event is hugely popular internally with demand frequently outstripping available spaces. We have won the business category for the last two years, and last year came 25th out of 60 teams beating numerous local running clubs. This year we took our involvement even further and were one of the main sponsors of the event.
Aside from Welsh Castles our running club has enjoyed lots of recent success in other competitions, including the LandAid 10km, and the inaugural Bristol to Bath marathon in which we came first in the business category.
For me, our running club is one of the highlights of the opportunities outside of work that Burges Salmon offers. Its popularity and that of the many other sporting clubs that are on offer is testament to the enthusiasm of our people and the benefits of working from a large single site location.