Batley law firm in charitable hike up Mount Snowdon for Pakistan flood victims

Batley Law, based on Wellington Street, has been involved in many different charitable projects over the years and has recently set up the Batley Law Foundation, with their first event, ‘Netwalking’, aimed at allowing people to have the opportunity to network with each other for good causes.

Last weekend’s good cause walk - up the highest mountain in Wales and England - was to help victims affected by the floods which have struck Pakistan over the past year.

Waseem Nazir told the Reporter Series after climbing the 3,560-foot mountain:

“Last year’s floods by far turned out to be some of the most devastating in Pakistan’s history. Entire communities were uprooted and left displaced. Aid agencies are still out there in the flood affected areas doing lots of good charitable work giving assistance by whatever means they can to as many people as possible.

“But we are talking about hundreds of thousands of homeless individuals who are living in miserable conditions to this day inside makeshift tents

“Their plight will unfortunately get worse as the winter begins to set in over the next few months. Cold freezing air from the Himalayas will start sweeping over the whole of the Punjab province. So the temperatures will drop drastically into the minus levels.

“Most of these people, along with their families, were already living below the poverty line - unable to afford a decent home built with strong quality bricks. The vast majority were trying to survive on severely low incomes while living in small huts made with soft clay. Others slept in simple straw shelters before the floods hit the country last year.

“Ironically it was these two groups of people who suffered the most when the flood waters rose to alarmingly dangerous levels. They did not stand a chance and lost everything due to the above average rainfall.”

All the funds raised from the Batley Law Foundation team’s recent charitable initiative will be sent to the Shahid Afridi Foundation. The charity shall use the money to build six new homes.

Hassnain Sajjad, director of Batley Law, added:

“Our staff at Batley Law always try their best to help out at times like these through different fundraising initiatives wherever and whenever we can, despite our own limited resources.

“On this occasion everyone at Batley Law decided to get involved in a fundraising charitable trek up the slopes of Mount Snowden.

“We have a passion at Batley Law to help improve people’s quality of life chances, whether it is through our immigration and asylum support work or through our various different charitable fundraising efforts.

“The trek up Mount Snowden helped raise over £12,000. This money was then immediately passed onto the distinguished Pakistani charity, the Shahid Afridi Foundation, that will through our funds oversee the construction of six new homes for six displaced families.”