A specialist education solicitor who spent much of her childhood in the care system has started on her mission to run, walk or cycle almost 350 kilometres in less than two months to raise money for the charity Become.
The gruelling challenge will see London-based lawyer Elisa Jenkins, who works for national law firm Simpson Millar, complete a distance of 7k, 7 days a week, for a total of 7 weeks.
Having originally set herself an overall fundraising target of £500, she has already raised an impressive £930 five weeks into the initiative, with another two weeks still to go.
All the funds will be donated to the national charity Become, which provides support to children in care and to young care leavers across the country. This includes an advice line, as well as ongoing coaching, help in stressful situations, and providing a friendly space for people to meet with other care-experienced young people.
The charity’s mission is to help children in care and young care leavers to believe in themselves and unleash their potential, and its vision is that chare-experienced people have the same chances as everyone else to live happy and fulfilled lives.
Having spent the first 5 years of her life in the care system, before embarking on a career which sees her specialise in assisting families with a range of matters relating to Education Law to make sure that parents can achieve the best outcomes for their child, Elisa says that Become’s work is ‘very close to my heart’.
Speaking on the challenge so far, Elisa said: “Become does incredible work providing support for children in care and young care leavers, and as someone who grew up partially in the care system this is something that is very close to my heart.”
“It’s been a gruelling challenge to date, and I have had to overcome a few injuries, but I am really proud of my progress and the funds raised so far. A huge thanks to everyone for their support.”
As an experienced education solicitor Elisa is a strong advocate for children. She works to help parents with matters including exclusion appeals, admission appeals, and access to special educational needs provision.
She started her career by obtaining a training contract as a Justice First Fellow at the Children’s Legal Centre Wales, going on to qualify as a Children’s Rights Solicitor.
During her time at the Children’s Legal Centre, she was seconded on numerous different placements, including the Education department, the Children’s Commissioner for Wales offices, and KIN Cymru (a legal charity for children with disabilities).
Elisa helped to establish the first free education law clinic in Wales. She also assisted the Children, Young People and Educational Committee with their inquiry against the Welsh Government on radical reform of care experiences for children and young people.
