Law firm to sponsor canoeist's Olympic bid

12:19pm Thursday 31st July 2008

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YOUNG kayak slalom canoeist Joe Coombs has teamed up with Trethowans solicitors of Salisbury to help him in his bid for Olympic glory.

Joe, 17, from Alderbury, is currently ranked the best junior in the country and 14th in the UK senior men's rankings.

He trains at the National Watersports Centre in Nottingham and Trethowans is sponsoring him.

He was guest of honour at the firm's annual Pimm's Party earlier this month and performed a ribbon cutting ceremony with managing partner Miles Brown and deputy mayor of Salisbury Mike Osment.

Mr Brown welcomed 250 guests to the party - the first one to be held at the firm's new headquarters at London Road Business Park. Trethowans moved from New Street to purpose-built premises at the end of May, and, said Mr Brown, the company wanted to combine the opening ceremony with a party so that clients, fellow professionals and guests could see the new building for themselves.

He told his audience that the firm had been judged a runner-up in the South Wilts Business of the Year awards' professional services category the previous week.

"These are very exciting times."

He continued: "Joe is training at the National Water Sports Centre full-time in a bid to become an Olympic champion. He wants to make the 2012 Olympics and we are covering the costs of his training, travelling and equipment."

Joe, British junior champion four years running, has competed in home international races against Wales and Scotland and was named a Wiltshire Young Achiever of the Year in 2006.

He was 15th at the 2007 Junior Pre-world Championships.

• Trethowans has recruited three new associates.

Holly Cudbill has joined the employment team, Tim Higham the residential property team and William Sclater the commercial litigation team.

The appointments bring the number of partners to 25 and associates to eight. Ms Cudbill's areas of expertise include discrimination, trade union recognition and family friendly rights.

Mr Higham is experienced in all aspects of residential property law, including development site purchases and their resale as individual residential plots, and has a particular interest in equity release.

Mr Sclater specialises in property-related disputes and has successfully acted for property companies, multinationals, pub and restaurant chains, a theatre impresario, leading rugby clubs, landowners, banks, livery companies, charities and title indemnity insurers.