For Junior Achievement Oslo just got a whole lot nearer to the Isle of Man thanks to a group of 74 people who spent a Sunday morning walking the outer perimeter of the National Sports Centre arena. The men, women and children were helping raise funds for the charity’s 700 mile challenge, the distance from the Isle of Man to Oslo, to where Junior Achievement will be taking a team of Castle Rushen High School students this August to represent the Island in the JA-YE Europe Company of the Year competition. The event was started by three-time Parish Walk winner Jock Waddington and sponsored by Nordea Life and Pensions Limited. Among the entrants were Junior Achievement Isle of Man chairman Jim Dale and programme managers Kirsty Coffey and Joy Spence, along with a number of the charity’s volunteers, business mentors…and a group of irrepressible women kitted out in pink. The challenge has so far raised more than ?4000 with more pledges still to come. Junior Achievement’s chief executive Sue Cook said: ‘We’re enormously grateful to everyone who gave up their Sunday morning to support us, and to Nordea, our sponsors, whose team provided much needed bottled water and bananas to help spur on the walkers. The challenge was not only good fun but also gave a welcome boost towards funding the cost of taking the students to compete before an international audience in Oslo where they’ll have an opportunity to demonstrate the entrepreneurial skills that earned them the 2011 Isle of Man Company of the Year trophy.’ Junior Achievement is a Manx-registered charity working to help the Island’s young people gain essential skills for when they leave full-time education. To find out more visit www.jaiom.im ENDS