A Littlehampton vet is making ready to deal with a gruelling 1,060-mile bike experience throughout the breadth of South America from the Pacific to the Atlantic, with the hope of elevating £5,000 for an area cat charity.
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Dr David Hodges from Stellar Vets, which is within the coronary heart of Littlehampton at Anchor Springs, will begin the experience on the west coast of Chile through the second week of January. After climbing greater than 4,000 metres and crossing the Andes, David will descend into Argentina and hopes to succeed in Buenos Aires, on the nation’s east coast, simply 9 days later.
David is embarking on the experience to boost money for Worthing Cat Welfare. The charity was established in 1995 and supplies a secure and caring surroundings for deserted, undesirable and distressed cats and kittens within the Worthing space, in addition to discovering them loving and everlasting houses.
David mentioned: “The idea for this ride came about after a conversation with some friends from university who all enjoy a challenge and wanted to raise money for various charities and good causes.
“Although I’m a keen cyclist, I’ve never done anything like this before, but I’m really looking forward to it. I’m currently training hard and covering at least 60 miles every Saturday and Sunday, as well as around 40 miles every evening, in preparation for cycling more than 100 miles each day during the ride.
“However, because it’s summertime in South America, it’s going to be very hot at times, but also cool in the Andes, so we’ll have big temperature changes to contend with as well as low oxygen levels at altitude, which is almost impossible to prepare for.
“Ultimately though, it’s going to be a great experience and will raise money for a brilliant organisation. We’ve supported Worthing Cat Welfare since we opened, collecting bedding, blankets, food and toys, as well as matching any financial donations made by the public, and we’ve helped find forever homes through our Facebook page for cats the charity is caring for. We’re very fortunate to have so many amazing clients who support us with our charitable efforts and I’m hoping to make a big difference to the charity with this challenge.”
Allison Pyett, from Worthing Cat Welfare, mentioned: “The team at Stellar Vets and their clients have always been big supporters of ours which we’re very grateful for. When David told us about this latest fundraising challenge, we couldn’t believe it. It’s extraordinary, and especially because every penny makes a difference, so it has the potential to help the cats we care for even more.”
