'Vet’s foot forward' for RCVS Trust Golden Jubilee

On Saturday 30 August Mr Fred Nind MRCVS will be setting off on a 500-mile walk from Edinburgh to London to raise funds for the RCVS Trust in celebration of its Golden Jubilee Year.

And as if walking 500 miles was not challenging enough, Fred (pictured) will be picking up as much litter as possible along the way.

Fred said: "Attracted by leftovers, hedgehogs can get their heads trapped inside plastic yoghurt pots, tin cans and polystyrene drinks cups and are then unable to reverse out because of their backward-facing prickles. This can lead to death by starvation.

"Broken glass can cut the feet of foxes and badgers, and unbroken bottles present a hazard to many small animals. Voles and mice crawl inside bottles to drink and then cannot climb back up the slippery sides to get out.

"Having treated far too many animals with litter-related injuries, I will be doing my best to rid my route of litter to help our furry friends as I put my 'vet's foot forward' to support the RCVS Trust's Golden Jubilee year celebrations.

"I hope to raise £5,000 for the RCVS Trust's innovative animal welfare and educational programmes in the UK and overseas, and very much hope that the profession will support me in my endeavours."

Gerri McHugh, Director of the RCVS Trust said: "This is an amazing initiative. We were delighted when Fred came up with the idea of walking from Edinburgh to London to raise funds for our Golden Jubilee. He has very generously given up nearly a month of his time to travel south, collecting litter along the way, and we envisage that he will arrive in London on Friday 26 September in time for lunch at BVA Congress.

"We are hoping that Fred will visit a number of practices and colleagues on his journey south. A detailed itinerary of his route can be found on our website - if you are in a position to offer him a cup of tea or even a bed for the night, please do let the Trust know - all offers of help will be very gratefully received."

To sponsor Fred, please visit www.justgiving.com/vetsfootforward or send your donation to the RCVS Trust office.