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Fundraiser completes marathon challenge for equine charity
Clive Poole was one of 12 runners to complete the challenge.
Clive Poole ran seven marathons in seven days for The Donkey Sanctuary.

A 57-year-old man has raised over £1,400 for The Donkey Sanctuary, after running seven marathons in seven days.

Clive Poole, from Gloucester, completed the ‘Week At the Knees’ challenge for the charity, covering 183.4 miles in total across Buckinghamshire.

Mr Poole discovered the work of The Donkey Sanctuary by chance, after finding its Sidmouth sanctuary was close to where he was holidaying in Devon. He and his wife visited the sanctuary, and soon found a passion for donkeys and the sanctuary.

This, as well as his hobby of running, inspired Mr Poole to sign up for his seven-day marathon challenge.

The challenge did come with its difficulties, after his ankle gave way with just five miles left of his seventh marathon. Mr Poole continued on, covering the final distance at a walking pace.

Through this perseverance, Mr Poole became one of the 12 runners to complete the Week At the Knees challenge. He has since had a tattoo drawn to celebrate his achievement.

The completion of his seventh marathon for The Donkey Sanctuary brings Mr Poole’s total number of marathons to 90. This leaves him with just 10 more marathons to run to join the UK 100 Marathon Club.

Despite the hardships, Mr Poole says that he has made some friends for life from the experience.

He and his wife now visit the Donkey Sanctuary’s East Devon premises several times a year, stopping in to visit their two-year-old grandson’s adopted donkey Drizzle.

Rose Huxham, fundraising officer at the Donkey Sanctuary, said: “We offer Clive our heartfelt congratulations on completing such a mammoth task.

“It is such an amazing achievement to not only complete the seven marathons in seven days, but for raising such a great amount too, which will help us continue our work supporting donkeys at most in need.”

Image © The Donkey Sanctuary

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BEVA gives RVNs right to vote

News Story 1
 The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) is to allow its registered veterinary nurse (RVN) members the right to vote.

RVN members will now be able to take part in key decision-making processes and stand for BEVA council.

Marie Rippingale, chair of BEVA's Nurse Committee, said: "I am very proud to be a part of BEVA.

"This change will help to empower nurses to speak up and contribute, but more importantly, it will give them an opportunity to collaborate with other members of the equine veterinary profession to bring about change that is positive for all." 

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News Shorts
Farmer survey to reveal on-farm impact of bluetongue

A nationwide survey has been launched to better understand how the bluetongue virus is affecting UK farms.

Results will inform the support that farmers receive for bluetongue, as well as preparing the livestock industry for the future.

The short online survey is open to all livestock farmers, regardless of whether they've had a confirmed case of bluetongue on their farm. It asks how many animals have been affected, the severity of their clinical signs and how it has impacted farm business.

The survey takes five minutes to complete and is fully anonymous.

It is led by Fiona Lovatt, of Flock Health Limited, and the Ruminant Health & Welfare bluetongue working group, in collaboration with AHDB and the University of Nottingham.

Dr Lovatt says: "We need to find out what level of clinical signs farmers are seeing in their animals, whether they are experiencing mortality with BTV-3 cases, and what their appetite is to vaccinate in future for bluetongue serotype 3."

The survey can be found here.