Over 50 staff and students from the University of Nottingham’s Vet School are running the Robin Hood marathon this Sunday to raise money for their ‘Vets in the Community’ project.
The 54 strong team has been organised by Vet Soc with support from their sponsors Hills and Vets4Pets.
Team members will run either the full or half marathon, both of which stretch around the Nottingham area, beginning and ending by Trent Bridge.
Vets in the Community, which provides free pet clinics for homeless and temporarily-housed pet owners in Nottingham, is currently funded by a University of Nottingham Impact grant.
“We provide a valuable community service and a much-appreciated opportunity for students to have hands-on practice”
However, the grant is set to expire at the end of 2015, resulting in a crucial student fundraising effort to ensure survival of the project, established in 2012.
Dr Stavisky said: “54 students and staff will be running the Robin Hood half and full marathons this weekend which we hope will raise vital funds to help our work with homeless pet owners to continue”.
She added: “We provide a valuable community service and a much-appreciated opportunity for students to have hands-on practice under the supervision of vets”.
“We were amazed at the number of runners who wanted to be involved – I think it shows how keen the students are to suport a community project”
The team is fundraising on a JustGiving page, hoping to reach a target of £800. Students are looking to meet the target through a raffle, which includes prizes from renowned vets Emma Milne, Marc Abraham and Cathy Woodhams, alongside support from individual sponsors.
Francesca Davidson, Student President of Vets in the Community, said: “We were amazed at the number of runners who wanted to be involved — I think it shows how keen the students are to support a community project, and how much they enjoy being part of the clinics”.
Lucy Burns, Vet Soc Charities Officer, said: “Having never been into running before, it is so motivating to feel part of a big group, and even more to be running for a charity that is so close to us all”.
Tamsin Parnell
Image: Funk Dooby via Flickr
