Gilson Gray Team Abseil Forth Rail Bridge to raise more than £3000

BRAVE staff members at one of Scotland’s leading legal firms have abseiled from the Forth Rail Bridge to raise more than £3,000 for charity.

The team of 12 from full-service law firm Gilson Gray lowered themselves from the iconic bridge to raise cash for Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland.

Despite high winds, the team successfully completed the 100-metre drop to the beach below, overcoming their fears despite no abseiling experience.

Their efforts have so far raised £3050.00 for the charity which will go towards improving the lives of people across Scotland affected by a range of chest, heart and stroke illnesses.

Vanessa Kennedy, Marketing Director at Gilson Gray, said: “We have an exceptional team at Gilson Gray both in terms of passion for daring activities and for fundraising.

“We were especially keen to help Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland in the knowledge that any amount raised will help so many people across the country.

“Abseiling caught our attention as it’s something a little different and a really great way of raising funds. It was all pretty new to everyone – but that has helped bring the team very close.

“As for the descent itself, I was terrified at first, with the trains going overhead and the strong winds adding to the experience.

“It took about five minutes to abseil down to the beach below and it gave us all a real sense of achievement when we made it to the bottom. It reflects the determination of a very positive team.”

The team’s abseiling feat follows extensive fundraising by the Edinburgh and Glasgow based legal firm.

It recently raised £82,450 for children’s causes at its third annual ‘GRACE Banquet’, a black tie event with more than 300 guests from across the Scottish business community.

Vanessa added: “We were delighted to raise funds for charity so soon after the great success of the GRACE Banquet.

“There are further plans for more events this year, such as the Social Bite’s Sleep in the Park which we’re really proud to be a part of.”

This year’s GRACE Banquet raised money for Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC) and Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity (GCHC).

Gilson Gray is based in Glasgow (160 West George Street) and Edinburgh (29 Rutland Square) with a radical client-focused strategy that offers a cost effective alternative to the top ten firms in the country.

The Firm recently landed six awards at the ACQ5 legal awards – the third year in a row that Gilson Gray has seen success – including Law Firm of the Year, Managing Partner of the Year and Insolvency Lawyer of the Year, all for the second time in three years.

The Firm was also recently recognised as Best New Scottish Company, M&A Firm of the Year for the second year running and, crucially, Customer Focus Firm of the Year.