CILEx event raises almost £700 for Midland Air Ambulance
11th September 2014
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More than £600 was raised for Midlands Air Ambulance charity at a gala dinner with a twist in Shropshire. 

Almost 100 people attended the Shropshire and Mid Wales CILEx Branch (Chartered Institute of Legal Executives) Summer Event at St Nicholas in Shrewsbury on Saturday 6th September.

And the event was particularly meaningful for one guest, CILEx chief executive Diane Burleigh OBE, as it is the last she will attend in Shropshire before retiring at the end of the year.

While the CILEx summer event is an annual one, it was the first black tie event organised by Shropshire and Mid Wales branch chairman Sophie Davies, a chartered legal executive lawyer with county law firm Lanyon Bowdler Solicitors.

“It was such a wonderful evening and we raised a fantastic £650 for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity through our charity raffle,” she said.

“As the first black tie event I have organised, we did things a bit differently and dispensed with many of the usual formalities by having canapés and a hot buffet rather than a sit down meal, which meant guests could relax and have a great time yet still look fabulous.

“There were some amazing raffle prizes, including a £250 voucher donated by Alan Ward Furniture, a BMW for a week from Rybrook Shrewsbury and a Sunderland Football Club shirt signed by former Shrewsbury Town player Billy Jones.

“We were not expecting any Sunderland fans among our guests but as it turned out our former president Stephen Gowland, who travelled from Durham for the event, is a huge Sunderland supporter and offered £100 for the shirt if we took it out of the raffle, which of course we agreed.

“Midlands Air Ambulance has always been an important charity for me and I have supported it since my years working as a personal injury lawyer.

“When I joined Lanyon Bowdler, I was delighted to introduce the firm to the charity.”

There were talks from national CILEx president Fran Edwards, who is the 51st president of CILEx and the first ever Welsh female to hold the role, and barrister Jim Tindal from Birmingham law chambers St Philips Barristers, which sponsored the evening.

Other special guests included Mayor of Shrewsbury Beverley Baker and CILEx vice president David Edwards.

Miss Davies also praised the venue and staff who hosted the fantastic evening.

“It was also the first black tie event for St Nicholas Cafe and they did such a wonderful job for us,” she said.

“The staff were brilliant and the venue and food were fantastic.”

The Shropshire and Mid Wales branch of CILEx has 22 member firms across the county, including Lanyon Bowdler, which regularly meet for networking and to discuss industry developments.

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