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CROMWELL VETS’ TEAM COMPLETE THREE PEAKS CHALLENGE

vetreportJune 26, 2023

A plucky team from a leading Cambridgeshire vet has successfully completed a gruelling challenge to raise funds in support of veterinary colleagues who are suffering with mental health issues.

The group from Linnaeus-owned Cromwell Vets, which has six practices across the county, took on the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge in aid of the Vetlife charity, raising more than £1,500.

The daunting 24-mile trek to scale the peaks of Pen-y-Ghent (694m), Whernside (736m), and Ingleborough (723m) must be completed inside 12 hours, and the team crossed the finish line with just over 20 minutes to spare.

Student veterinary nurse Katy Dickson said: “I’m very proud that we took on, and completed, the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge in aid of a cause close to our hearts.

“It was physically and mentally very demanding to keep focused as a team to finish the challenge within the allowed time. Just as importantly, we’ve smashed our fundraising target of £1,500, but we would always welcome extra support if anyone wishes to donate.”

The intrepid Cromwell Vet’s team, which comprised veterinary surgeons, nurses and a patient care assistant, was Katy Dickson, Katy Peacock, Abby Spencer, Emma Lyons, Polly Berks, Charlotte Varley and Michelle Tapp. Their official finishing time was 11 hours, 38 minutes and 51 seconds.

Vetlife aims to create a veterinary community with high levels of physical and mental wellbeing. It provides a 24-hour helpline, health support and financial support.

Katy, a mental health and wellbeing ambassador at Cromwell Vets who often organises team activities for the practice, added: “Vetlife does fantastic work by providing vital free and confidential support to the veterinary community.

“It’s a community which continues to experience significantly higher levels of depression and suicide than the general population.

“For instance, veterinarians are three to four times more likely to commit suicide than the general public, and nearly 70 per cent of veterinarians have lost a colleague to suicide.

“Vetlife makes a real difference, and its support to the veterinary community and their families with emotional, health or financial concerns is invaluable.”

Anyone who would like to donate can still do so at https://www.justgiving.com/page/vets-yorkshire3peaks.

For more information on Vetlife, visit https://www.vetlife.org.uk.

Cromwell Vets has practices in Huntingdon, St Ives, St Neots, Ramsey, Cambourne and Sawtry. For more information, visit www.cromwellvets.co.uk or search for them on social media.

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