Chief vets unite in Send a Cow fundraisers

THE Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales is joining the great and good of the veterinary and farming worlds to raise £50,000 for the international development charity Send A Cow.

Christianne Glossop is taking part in a relay across Britain, walking from Anchor on the Welsh border to Aberystwyth on May 4 and 5, and joining other chief vets in climbing 850 metrehigh Slieve Donard, the highest peak in Northern Ireland, on May 18.

The fundraising initiative is the brainchild of Andrew Cobner, president of the British Cattle Veterinary Association (BCVA) which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

The money is being raised in memory of former member and lecturer Andrew Madel from the Royal Veterinary College, who inspired generations of farm animal vets and championed the work of Send a Cow until he passed away in 2013.

Ms Glossop said she was so inspired by what was being planned by Mr Madel she offered to walk across Wales to support the effort. With keen cycling vets from the Midlands now joining in, this has turned into the cycling and walking relay across the whole of England and Wales from east to west.

She said: “This is the first time the four UK Chief Vets have met together with the Irish Chief Vet, and it’s a fitting show of unity at a time when the British and Irish Lions are gearing up for their New Zealand [rugby] tour.

“The day we climb Slieve Donard is also the same day a Land’s End to John O’Groats cycle relay arrives in Inverness, and meets up with renowned vet and wildlife photographer Rupert Kirkwood at the completion of his kayak along the 23 miles of Loch Ness to raise money for the cause.”

She added: “Send A Cow is a charity that many in the farming industry have supported over the years, helping families in Africa produce food sustainably. The BCVA now has a virtual Andrew Madel herd that we can keep adding animals to, thanks to the support of our fundraising activities.”

A host of vet practices and BCVA members around the country are organising local events by running, cycling, rowing or walking 50 miles for 50 years of BCVA. Others around the world are also taking part, with vets in the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand running events.

The money raised will support Send a Cow’s work with smallholder farmers in some of the poorest parts of Africa. Founded by West Country dairy farmers in the late 1980s, the charity provides training, tools, seeds and livestock so that families can grow their own food and lift themselves out of poverty.