Who loves yer, baby?

EIGHTEEN staff including three partners at Michelmores Solicitors in Exeter are about to find out just how good they are at parenting by taking home a "virtual" baby overnight, which will entail feeding, cuddling, comforting it as well as responding to any sudden demands - demands which can be influenced by their work colleagues...

The initiative takes place during National Adoption Week (9-13th November) and will raise money for Families for Children and BBC Children in Need, with the rest of Michelmores staff betting on who will be the best parents and offering bribes to alter the babies' setting - and therefore how easy its going to be to handle.

Solicitor Rachel Cook of Michelmores Family Team, which has organised the event, said: "These fake babies normally have an important social role to play in teaching childcare including the ups and downs of being a parent.

"Each has a computer print out will reveal how our volunteers get on and it will provide data such as: did they drop the baby, for how long did they ignore its screams and how many times did the baby cry?

"Just to make it that bit more challenging, we can alter the computer settings to make each baby 'normal', 'easy' or 'cranky' and we will certainly take bribes to increase the money raised for charity and to ensure our 'parents' don't get too much of an easy ride."

Michelmores volunteer parents range from partners to associates, secretaries and office assistants, each of whom will spend an evening and overnight with their pre-programmed baby during National Adoption Week.

Rachel Cook added: "This is a fun event which will raise money for two very worthwhile charities but, at the same time, National Adoption Week has a very serious purpose. 

"It encourages people to come forward to adopt the children who wait the longest - older children, children with disabilities, brothers and sisters, and children from some black and minority ethnic backgrounds.

"National Adoption Week also attracts people wanting to find out about their own adoption or a child they put up for adoption."

Ends

Picture supplied by Express & Echo

Further information: Rachel Cook, Michelmores - 01392 688688

Notes for editors

The full list if participants includes.

Simon Barnett (Partner)
Jodie Lack (Secretary)
James Baker (Associate)
Nicky Plater (Secretary)
Amber McIntosh (Office assistant) 
Stephen Morse (Partner)
Phil Brown & Lucy Cummin (Solicitor - Property & Trainee Solicitor)
Charlotte Brooks (Secretary)
Hannah Kearns-Pollard (Paralegal )
Alex Cross & Karen Hole (Trainee Solicitors)
Katie Robinson  (Management Accountant)
Lauren Burroughs (Credit Controller)
Jonathan Riley (Partner)
David Arnold  (Trainee)
Lara Alford (Secretary)
Jenna Bowden (Secretary)

( Last Updated: 18-11-2009 )

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