A WORCESTER consultancy firm is planning to raise £5,000 for deafblind children and adults with a series of events over the next 12 months.

Three members of Adlestrop Consulting in Sansome Walk will be kicking off the company’s fundraising efforts for national deafblind charity Sense by taking on the Birmingham half marathon on Sunday, October 18.

Director Tim Bates, who is 51, is planning to cross the finish line in precisely 1 hour and 29 minutes to beat his personal best of one and a half hours by just one minute. He said: “Beating my own personal best and competing with my colleagues keeps me motivated to train hard. My strongest motive though is that every penny raised will support the fantastic work the charity does.”

His colleagues Charles Magill, who is 36, and 23-year-old Luke Alexander, have been training hard to keep up with him and aim to complete the race in less than two hours.

The company has chosen Sense to be its charitable partner for the year for the work it does in the Midlands. Staff volunteered last June to spruce up the garden at a residential service in Edgbaston, Birmingham, so the five deafblind people living in the house could make the most of the outdoors space in the summertime.

Mr Alexander, who volunteered on the day, said: “Lending a hand so that people with sensory impairments can enjoy some of the things that most of us take for granted, like a beautiful garden in their own home, was immensely inspiring. We decided to commit to fundraise for a whole year to help the charity reach out to more people. Hopefully, with support from the local community we’ll manage to exceed our target for this wonderful cause.”