Vet Charity Challenge 2013 – Another Massive Success

Saturday 28th September saw the second Vet Charity Challenge take place at Pershore College in Worcestershire. Bathed in lovely sunshine, 55 teams of four spent the day walking, running, cycling, kayaking and orienteering along with a variety of mental tasks. This year’s winners were the BVC Bashers from Belmont Veterinary Centre in Hereford. Sarah Simpson said, “We are absolutely delighted and shocked to win. We managed to get all the kayak and cycling points and as many running checkpoints we could manage. We were not bad with map reading and timekeeping and were committed to just keep going. The event was fantastic fun and great for team bonding. We all know each other a little better now and we will definitely be back to defend our title next year.” BCF Technology Marketing Manager, Jason Rogers said, “The response we got for the Challenge this year has been amazing with double the number of teams we had in 2012. It was quite a sight to see over 200 people at the briefing at the start of the day. Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves and get into the spirit of the event.” Kerry Lambert from Ashworth Veterinary Group, Hampshire added, “The day was both exhilarating and exhausting. It was very well organised and friendly - bit sore now though.” All the competitors at the start Jamie Walker from Dechra commented, “A great day, definitely do it again, fantastically organised. Our only regret is that we could not find the 50 point marker at the top of the hill on the mountain bike stage.” Nic Hayward from the Far Canals team added, “Bit tougher than last year, with a few more hills. We did very little training, though we are happy with our result in 6th place.” Caroline Gardner from Oak Vet Otters, in Haverfordwest added, “Thank you to everyone for a great day. Might take a few days to get over it though, especially after the ceilidh!” Caitrina Harrison from Vétoquinol added “As one of the sponsors for this year’s Vet Charity Challenge, Vetoquinol had three of the 55 teams entered.  The amazing team spirit, fun atmosphere and inter-company rivalry all contributed to a fantastic event. The day was well organised and certainly our three teams, Bringing up the Rear, Evolution Q and The Vetorapids, had a fantastic time. We’ll be back again next year!” This year the event is raising money for three animal based charities, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, SPANA and Animals Asia. In 2012 the event raised £21,000. Gavin Mitchell, Managing Director of BCF Technology commented, “We hope to raise even more money this year and are looking forward to handing over the cheques to the charities at the London Vet Show.” For more information, to see the results and to register your interest in entering a team or teams in the Vet Charity Challenge 2014, take a look at the website http://www.vetcharitychallenge.co.uk To see all the photos and videos of the day and to keep up with the very latest information, search for Vet Charity Challenge on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/vetcharitychallenge and vetchallenge on Twitter http://twitter.com/vetchallenge. The Vet Charity Challenge is sponsored by BCF Technology, Kruuse, Vétoquinol, with support from VMPA and Mojo Consultancy, and media partner Veterinary Practice Magazine.

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