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Fundraising vet to cycle past every Somerset practice
Oscar Sinfield will be cycling nearly 400 miles.

The money raised will go to support mental health charity Vetlife.

Veterinary surgeon Oscar Sinfield is planning to cycle past every veterinary practice in Somerset over the course of two days this September, in order to raise funds for the charity Vetlife.

The route, just under 400 miles long, will take him past 121 practices and branches, starting on 8 September.

As well as raising valuable funds for Vetlife, which provides mental health support to the UK veterinary community, Dr Sinfield is hoping to get people thinking about mental wellbeing and what they can do to improve their own.

Dr Sinfield said: “My goals for the event are to raise awareness about mental health within the veterinary profession and demonstrate how being in the countryside can boost wellbeing. Along the way, I’m keen to fundraise as much as possible for Vetlife.
 
“Vetlife has done so much for the veterinary profession with regards to making mental health support more accessible. Having that knowledge that they are there personally provides a lot of comfort in what can sometimes be quite a lonely and isolating profession.”

Vetlife saw its expenditure rise above £1 million for the first time in 2023 as it experienced increased demand for its services, including the Vetlife Helpline which is available 24 hours a day to provide confidential mental health support.

Vetlife trustee Danny Chambers added: “I know how painful it is to cycle up Cheddar Gorge in North Somerset, so I am in awe that Oscar is cycling a 400-mile route around that terrain to visit every vet practice in Somerset in two days. I’m sure in his brief visits to each practice he’ll get a warm welcome and some sustenance to help him along to his next pit stop! Thank you to Oscar for his enthusiasm and support.”

Donations can be made online.

 

Image (C) Vetlife

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Applications open for MMI research grants

News Story 1
 RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.

Researchers have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 to apply for a grant for research which reflects MMI's 2025 focus areas.

Only one Impact Grant was awarded last year, and so this year there are two Discovery Grants and one Impact Grants available. Each Discovery Grant is worth £5,000 and the Impact Grant is worth £15,000.

For more information or to apply, email researchgrants@rcvs.org.uk to contact the MMI team.

 

Click here for more...
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Germany livestock import ban lifted

The UK government has amended its ban on the import of livestock, meat and dairy products from Germany.

Defra said the decision follows 'rigorous technical assessment' of the measures applied and the current situation. "If the situation changes, we will not hesitate to take necessary action in response to the FMD outbreaks in the European Union to protect our domestic biosecurity," it said.

The ban was implemented in January following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) near Berlin. Personal imports of meat, milk and dairy products will remain in place at a country level.