By: 16 August 2019
LCF Law solicitors target sports for charity fundraising

LCF Law solicitors Harjit Rait and Cathy Cook are aiming to raise significant funds for a number of charities in two big sporting events.

Harjit Rait will be swapping her work suit for cricket whites this weekend when she takes part in Bradford’s first all women cricket tournament for charity.

Rait, who leads the LCF family law team in Bradford, signed up to the challenge a year ago and is playing as part of #TeamIndia, raising money for Yorkshire Cancer Research.

The Inspirational Women Charity Cricket Tournament takes place on 18 August at Park Avenue Cricket Ground in Bradford from 10am to 6pm. Four teams will compete in the tournament and each has chosen a charity for which to raise money. Five hundred people have already registered for tickets to the sold-out event.

The teams and their chosen charities are: #TeamEngland: Bradford Women’s Aid; #TeamIndia: Cancer Support Yorkshire; #TeamPakistan: Yorkshire Children’s Charity; and #TeamBradford: Mind In Bradford.

Event organiser Fatima Patel commented: “The idea behind the fundraising event is to gather hard working professional women together, encourage them to leave their comfort zone, and motivate and empower each other to take part in a sport they have never played before. We have more than 44 women taking part in the tournament, with spectator tickets already sold out!”

Rait said: “It’s such a great idea, getting local women together of all ages and abilities to play a sport that historically is very male orientated.”

“I have met lots of lovely women and had some great laughs training for this, and although it’s been a huge commitment, it’s definitely been worth it. My cricket has gradually improved—having never even held a cricket bat before—there was only one way it could go!”

LCF Law corporate partner Cook is set to cover 135 miles across the North Pennines from St Bees in Cumbria to Roker on the East Coast in four days, in memory of her gran and in the company of her family.

Cook hopes to raise £5,000 for three charities: The Alzheimer’s Society, Place2Be, which is a charity that helps children with mental health issues, and Leeds Community Foundation, which supports thousands of charities and voluntary groups by distributing grants and sharing advice.

Cook will be accompanied on the challenge by her husband, father, brother, three daughters, two nieces, three uncles, nine cousins and five second cousins.

She said: “To say that we have differing fitness levels is an understatement! One uncle is 85, three cyclists are in their 70s and six are teenagers. My Canadian uncle decided after riding the same bike for 40 years that his saddle wasn’t very comfortable and has designed and built his own rather unique solution, which we hope will do the trick! One of my cousins hadn’t ridden a bike outside until last week, but after her first track session, she soon realised the benefits of padded shorts for a challenge like this!”

Commenting on the plan to raise money for charity, Cook said: “It’s a real family affair and we all wanted to raise money in memory of my gran, who suffered from mental health issues throughout most of her adult life, but still provided support to all of her friends and family.”

“One of my cousins is a social worker and my experience as a school governor led us to also raising money for Place2Be. The charity provides emotional and therapeutic services in schools helping children to cope with wide-ranging and complex social issues including bullying, bereavement, domestic violence, family breakdown, neglect and trauma.”

“We chose the Alzheimer’s Society because of the experience of a close friend. Her Mum was an academic at Durham University, who also worked as a counsellor and play therapist, as well as spending a lot of time in Kenya training people to provide counselling to orphans who have lost one or more parents through HIV and Aids infection. She now has early onset of Alzheimer’s. We all wanted to support this charity, which does invaluable work.”