West Sussex vet gears up for 1,000-mile South American bike challenge

A West Sussex-based vet is making final preparations to cycle more than 1,000 miles across South America for a cat charity later this month.

David Hodges, the founder of Stellar Vets in Littlehampton, plans to cross the Andes mountains during a nine-day voyage from the west coast of Chile to the Argentinian capital, Buenos Aires.

He hopes to raise £5,000 for Worthing Cat Welfare, which has been helping abandoned and unwanted cats and kittens in the area for nearly 30 years.

Training

Dr Hodges, who has been covering hundreds of miles a week in training, said the challenge had arisen from a conversation with some university friends who were all keen to support good causes.

He added: “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.”

‘Extraordinary’

Allison Pyett of Worthing Cat Welfare said the charity could not believe the details of the latest challenge.

She said: “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.”

Donations for the cause can be made via the challenge’s GoFundMe web page.