Cons in hair-raising escape to victory

It is fair to say that some solicitors are not always connected with their common sense and that arguably goes for this bunch from the Torquay office of Devon firm Tozers.

We don't mean the eye-catching garb specifically, but rather the wisdom of sporting it while cruising the pubs and clubs of the town on a Saturday night.

They were taking part in the annual Dartmoor charity jail break, in which teams have a certain amount of time to get as far away as they can without paying; rather than find themselves in New Zealand (as the most successful team did in the past), the Tozers group chose to concentrate on fund- raising with the aim of getting into the top 100 of amounts ever raised.

This they did with the help of a group of hairy bikers, the Knights of Antioch, who transported them off the moor to Totnes, free bus passes to get them to Newton Abbot and then Torquay, and a horse-and-cart ride along the front there.

Partner Tracy Lambert (bottom right) then had the bright idea of taking their buckets around the local nightspots, where, it is fair to say, they were treated with the respect you would guess drunken young men would give women wearing purple wigs and boiler suits.

'It was awful,' Ms Lambert shudders.

Nonetheless, Tozers is now on the list of the big fund-raisers, having topped 1,000 (and is above fellow solicitors Hooper & Wollen from a couple of years back, which was another big aim).

The Vranch Home School in Exeter for children with cerebral palsey and South Devon Women's Aid will share the cash.

Also pictured is receptionist Jessica Tout (bottom left), along with support staff members Penny Curley and Stacey Easterbrook (top left and right).