Priory Law Renewed Hope Plank a Day in May was more than a fundraising challenge. It became a month of teamwork, community support and daily planking in one of the hottest Mays Surrey has ever recorded.
Thirty-one days. Thirty-one planks. And - it is worth mentioning again - one of the hottest Mays Surrey has ever recorded.
Wisley reached 33.8°C in May 2026, breaking records that had stood for decades. The team did not know that when they signed up for the challenge. They found out the hard way.
If you had asked us on day one whether we would make it to day thirty-one, we would have been quietly optimistic and privately uncertain. We made it.
The Result: £1,060 Raised for Renewed Hope East Surrey
Thanks to all our supporters, the Priory Law team raised £1,060 for Renewed Hope East Surrey - 141% of our final target.
When we set an initial goal of £500 at the start of May, we genuinely did not know how far the support would stretch. The response from friends, family, professional partners and the wider community was more than we expected - and more than we can easily put into words.
The messages left on the JustGiving page said things we will not forget quickly. The Smith Family called Renewed Hope “a real lifeline for so many people.” The Wyatt-Lago family were “cheering from the sidelines, so incredibly proud.” One anonymous supporter wrote that our dedication had inspired them to give. Every one of those messages arrived during a working day - in what turned out to be quite a warm working day, on many occasions - and every one of them made the evening plank feel worth it.
What Plank a Day in May Actually Looked Like
The challenge was simple: one plank every day throughout May, increasing the time as the month progressed. Week one felt manageable. Week four, in 30-degree heat after a full day at work, felt like a different conversation entirely.
“I will be honest - I did not think the plank times would get as long as they did by the end of the month. And I certainly did not factor in doing them in what became one of the hottest Mays on record. There were afternoons when the last thing I wanted to do was get on the floor and plank! But that is the thing about a daily challenge. You do not really have the option to decide you are not in the mood. You just do it. And doing it as a team - knowing everyone else was doing the same thing at the end of their day, in the same heat - made it feel like something worth finishing properly.”
Anne-Marie Fowler, Managing Director
“I went into May feeling fairly confident. I came out of May with a much more realistic understanding of what my core strength actually is - and what 30 degrees does to your motivation! The first week was fine. The second week was where it started to feel like a genuine commitment rather than a fun idea. By the final few days I was genuinely proud of myself and all the team, it was a small thing to do every day for the most incredible charity.
Summer Ballard, Conveyancing Technician
“I thought it would be fairly easy at the start. It definitely was not. The longer times and the heat made it much harder than expected, but it was worth every second. Thank you to all our friends, family, clients and professional partners who sponsored and supported us throughout May.”
When Renewed Hope joined in
Midway through the month, something happened that made the whole campaign feel bigger than a fundraiser.
The Renewed Hope team came in for a session with the Priory Law team and joined in with the planking. Even Kiwi made an appearance. It was filmed, shared on social media, and the response said everything about what happens when a community genuinely gets behind something.
Hugh Serjeant, from Renewed Hope, reflects:
“Seeing a local business show up every day for a cause they believe in, meant a great deal. The funds raised will make a real practical difference to the people we support across East Surrey, and we are grateful to everyone who got involved.”
Hugh Serjeant, Renewed Hope
That moment shifted the feel of the whole campaign. It stopped being about us raising money for them and started feeling like two teams doing something together for a shared purpose.
Why Supporting Renewed Hope Matters
As a conveyancing firm, we spend our days working with people buying, selling and securing their homes. We know what home means - the stability, the security, the sense of having somewhere that is yours.
Renewed Hope’s work is a daily reminder that not everyone has access to those things. Their drop-in in Redhill welcomes over 300 people a year - offering a hot meal, a shower, practical support and someone to talk to. The funds raised through Plank a Day in May will go directly towards continuing that work across East Surrey.
We are proud to support them. We are proud of what the team raised. And we are - cautiously - proud of the core strength improvements that came as a bonus. The heat, we are less proud of having underestimated.
Thank You to Everyone Who Supported the Challenge
To every person who donated, shared the page, sent a message of encouragement or joined in with their own plank: thank you. It made a real difference to the team, and to a cause that genuinely matters.
If you would like to find out more about Renewed Hope East Surrey or support the charity directly, visit www.renewedhope.org.uk.
About the author - Anne-Marie Fowler
Anne-Marie Fowler is the Managing Director of Priory Law and a qualified Licensed Conveyancer. Her career spans estate agency, lettings, block management and residential conveyancing. She qualified in 2015 and has built Priory Law around a clear conviction: that conveyancing should be done differently. Managed caseloads. Proper supervision. Genuine transparency. A personal approach that takes seriously what moving home actually means to people.
About Priory Law
Priory Law is a specialist residential conveyancing firm acting for clients across England and Wales. Regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC Licence No. 12134), the firm offers a structured, transparent and personal alternative to high-volume conveyancing.
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