While there’s no “I” in team, the spotlight has rightfully fallen on our Practice Manager Dawn Bowker for her sterling effort during the Solomons Step Challenge.

Because Dawn clocked up a hugely impressive 520,526 steps as we raised money for the British Heart Foundation’s Walk this May initiative.

Dawn was a member of the We’ve got Sole team – one of the four teams of six that took on, and smashed, the challenge of covering the distance from John O’Groats to Lands End (plus detours to our five offices spread across the North East, Cumbria and central North West) during the month.

What was the secret to Dawn’s success?

“It was mostly weekends that I managed to ramp up my activity, going for walks with the dog Mitzi in my local area in Merseyside,” says Dawn, who is based at the Solomons headquarters at Newton-le-Willows.

“I usually walk Mitzi 2 or 3 times a day but increased the length of the walks during May because of the challenge. I also did a lot of stepping on the spot during weekday evenings so I could keep my count high!”

In addition to fundraising, a big motivation for the Solomons Step Challenge was health and wellbeing. Key to the company’s culture, team members are constantly encouraged to take breaks and get the blood flowing given the predominantly desk-based nature of their roles.

“Breaking the day up with a lunch time walk was not only getting my step count up, it also clears the mind and unknots the tummy” says Dawn.

“You can feel the shoulders drop and relax, so when you get back to your desk you feel refreshed and more productive for the rest of the day.”

While Dawn basks in the glory of topping the individual “Hotstepper” table, she’s full of praise for everyone who took part in the challenge.

“Everyone did absolutely brilliantly,” she says.

“Getting a total 9.15m steps between us is astonishing as I know from experience this can be very challenging when you are working full time and have family commitments.”

So far, almost £500 has been raised by Team Solomons for the British Heart Foundation. You can pledge your support by making a donation at the dedicated Solomons Step Challenge Just Giving page.