Briggs Defence Takes On 100km Thames Path Challenge For SSAFA

A team representing Briggs Defence is preparing to tackle a new challenge this autumn after registering to take part in a 100km charity walk…

Six employees from the asset management and engineering services specialist Briggs Equipment will be putting their best feet forward and pushing themselves to the limit when they embark on the Thames Path Challenge on September 9-10.

As part of Briggs Defence’s support for the military community, the team is raising money for SSAFA, the Armed Forces Charity that supports around 60,000 servicemen and women, veterans and their families each year.

Heading upstream from Putney Bridge past Hampton Court to the half way point at Runnymede and then on to Henley, the intrepid six will walk both day and night in a bid to complete the Challenge in 24 hours.

Every Thames Path Challenge entrant commits to raising at least £395 for charity. Briggs Defence’s employees have been busy organising sponsored activities and other events and are well on their way to achieving this target.

Steve Munson, Briggs Defence’s Head of Finance and team captain, said: "The Thames Path Challenge will certainly be a test of how fit we are and our determination to get to the end, but we know it will be a huge sense of achievement when we cross the finish line and, of course, we’re committed to raising as much money as we can to support SSAFA’s important work."

More than 3,000 people are expected to take on the 2017 Thames Path Challenge. The majority will be walking, some will jog and others will run, but all are prepared to push themselves to the limit to raise money for a host of worthy causes.

Since Briggs Defence operates from several sites, the team members are adopting their own approach to training. To ensure they are on course to attain an appropriate level of fitness, the six will join in the two official training sessions – a 25 mile walk during the day on July 15 and a night walk of the same distance on August 19.

The organisers of the Thames Path Challenge have turned the concept of a sponsored walk into a festival of walking and trekking. Two other events are being staged at the same time as the 100km main event: the Thames Bridges Trek is a west to east walk of 25km crossing 16 historic bridges, while the whole family can get involved in the Henley 10K.