This weekend members of Fosse BBC walked ten miles and raised more than £6k for a Leicestershire charity helping sufferers of a spinal condition which debilitates those inflicted.

A group of 50 members and family walked ten miles to raise the cash for The Cauda Equina Syndrome Charity.

Mehmooda Duke, of Moosa – Duke Solicitors, formed ties with the charity after introducing a client suffering from Cauda Equina Syndrome to the charity. She said: “The Cauda Equina Syndrome Charity is the only one of its kind in the entire UK.

“The condition can affect anyone, of any age and at any time.  It is an avoidable condition which with some awareness from members of the public and greater awareness on the part of doctors and ambulance staff could make a huge difference.

“It is the delay in diagnosing the condition and doing something about it that causes the problems.  The window of time to do take action can be as little as 24 – 36 hours. If the condition is not diagnosed in this time then individuals can be left incontinent of bowel and bladder and lose sexual function.  It can leave individuals disabled and is a permanent condition.”

Some ‘red flag’ symptoms are the inability to urinate, constipation, back pain, leg pain and leg numbness or weakness.

The charity works not only to help those suffering with the condition with support and advice but also strives to educate people to minimise the number of people with the disease through education.

“Sufferers have their lives turned upside-down, they can lose the ability to walk, lose sensation from the waist down, and lose the ability to control bowel movements. They can become a shell of their former selves and their entire family ultimately has to readjust, but it’s a condition that can be prevented if it is recognised early enough by both doctors and the individual inflicted.

“The walk itself was fantastic, right at the end we had a chance meeting with a woman living with cauda equine syndrome who stopped our t-shirts with the charity printed on them.”

Last year Fosse raised £10k for Leicester Royal Infirmary’s Children and Young People’s Cancer Unit through a ten mile walk and various fundraisers throughout the year.

Emma Willis, of Cauda Equina Syndrome Charity, said: “We are thrilled that Fosse Business Breakfast Club has chosen to support us this year.  As a new charity, it is so important to have the backing of organisations such as Fosse, who can do so much to help us increase awareness of cauda equina syndrome.”

To sponsor our ten mile walk go to https://www.justgiving.com/FBBCcharitywalk2014/ All donations are appreciated!