Balfour+Manson staff raise thousands for Scots charities

Staff at Balfour+Manson have raised more than £3,700 for charity by abseiling down the Forth bridge and embarking on a notoriously tough endurance challenge.

The workers handed £1,100 to Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS) and £2,600 to Foundation Scotland this month.

Office manager Christine Laurie and marketing and events manager Alicia Dacre abseiled 165 feet down the Forth Rail Bridge to raise money for CHAS as part of the 125th anniversary of the bridge on Sunday 7 June.

Ms Dacre said it was a “great experience” and added: “The event was so well organised and we were both overwhelmed by the support with our fundraising, I wish I could say letting go at the top was as easy!”

A team of solicitors at the firm - including Paddy Fulton, Angela McCracken, Jamie Foulis, Iain Thomson and Mark Boni - then went further by taking on the Caledonian Challenge to raise funds for Foundation Scotland.

The team set off with around 1,000 other participants at 7am on Saturday from Gairlochy near Fort William and completed the course at Strathfillan in 20 hours and 28 minutes, finishing a respectable 20th out of 125 teams.

Employment law solicitor Angela McCracken said: “The dark, torrential rain and endless track took its toll on our morale at points but we persevered. We were all exhausted, soaked and in a fair bit of pain but were delighted to have finished and raised so much money for Foundation Scotland.”