Motorcycling vets to leave Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace on 3,000-mile charity trip
22 August 2012
One of the Royal Veterinary College's professors is planning a 3,000-mile motorbike ride to raise funds for an international animal welfare charity.
Professor Josh Slater, who works in equine clinical studies, is in a team of five vets that will be setting out on the fundraiser from the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace, home to Her Majesty The Queen's carriage horses.
The team, called 'Vets with Horsepower', will be setting off on Wednesday 22 August and riding across Europe and north Africa to give lectures at eight veterinary schools in return for donations to international animal charity SPANA (the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad).
They are aiming to raise £125,000 from the two week challenge to help SPANA provide more free veterinary treatment for working horses, donkeys and mules in Mali and Mauritania.
Josh, who has taken part in two similar fundraisers in the UK for equine charities, said: "This is without doubt the team's biggest challenge to date: travelling 3,000 miles through Europe and Africa is no mean feat! The trip is going to take a huge amount of mental and physical energy, as anyone who's done a long-distance motorcycle ride will know.
"I'd be incredibly grateful for any sponsorship as we're aiming to raise £125,000 for working animal charity SPANA to fund their veterinary clinics in Mali and Mauritania, as well as support the charity's riding school for disabled children in Bamako, Mali."
Vets with Horsepower can be sponsored at www.spana.org/horsepower.
For any further media enquiries about SPANA or the Vets with Horsepower team please contact:
Katie Kennedy, Communications Officer for SPANA
E: Katie@spana.org
T: 020 72692691
M: 07796 140089 or 07981 401094
Notes for editors
- SPANA is the charity for the working animals of the world. We provide free veterinary care to hardworking horses, donkeys, mules and camels in some of the world's poorest countries, helping not only the animals but the families that depend on them to make a living too. We improve the welfare of working animals in three ways: free veterinary treatment, education and training, and emergency response. Founded in 1923 by a British mother and daughter, the charity now provides almost 400,000 treatments to working animals in developing countries every year. www.spana.org
- Vets with Horsepower was founded in 2010 by a group of leading equine veterinary surgeons with a love of motorcycles. The team is aiming to raise £125,000 on their 3,000 mile tour across Europe and into north Africa to fund SPANA's veterinary clinics for working animals in Mali and Mauritania, and support the charity's Disabled Riding Centre for children in Bamako, Mali. For more information about the team including a list of members, visit www.spana.org/horsepower
- The Royal Veterinary College is the UK's first and largest veterinary school and a constituent College of the University of London. It also provides support for veterinary and related professions through its three referral hospitals, diagnostic services and continuing professional development courses. www.rvc.ac.uk
Further Information
To request further information or an interview please contact:
- Hannah Murray on 01727 737997
email: hannah@communicationsmanagement.co.uk - Phil Smith on 01727 850761
email: phil@communicationsmanagement.co.uk
The Royal Veterinary College
Established in 1791, the RVC is the UK’s longest-standing veterinary college—with a proud heritage of innovation in veterinary science, clinical practice and education.