8 May 2025
Julian Hoad will take his distinctive style airborne when he takes part in a fund-raising wing walk for the association’s PetSavers charity later this month.
Chris Simpson
Job Title
Julian Hoad in his cat outfit ahead of the charity wing walk.
A major veterinary group leader will take part in a sponsored wing walk to raise funds for a vet research charity later this month.
BSAVA president Julian Hoad will take to the skies above Gloucestershire to raise money for the group’s PetSavers charity on 29 May – all while dressed in a Cheshire cat onesie.
Dr Hoad is targeting a fund-raising goal of £1,000 for PetSavers, which funds clinical research into preventing, diagnosing, and treating companion animal diseases.
“Every day, veterinarians face the heart-wrenching task of managing the distress and pain caused by these diseases,” Dr Hoad wrote on his JustGiving page.
He added: “With your support, we can ensure that they have access to the latest knowledge and resources needed to provide the best care possible.
“The need for advanced research is more pressing than ever; our pets deserve every chance at a healthy life.”
The experience – led by AeroSuperBatics’ professional wing walking team – will see Dr Hoad strapped to the top of a Boeing Stearman biplane and taken 1,000 feet in the air at speeds of up to 140 miles per hour.
Last year, Dr Hoad accompanied PetSavers’ management committee chair Rosie Godfrey on her “Chair’s Challenge,” a 9.3-mile fund-raising hike over the Malvern Hills, for which he also donned the memorable onesie.
Dr Hoad – who believes his comfort with heights will come in handy for the wing walk – is anticipating a more exhilarating experience this year: “It was great fun, with beautiful countryside. It was not especially adrenaline packed, though we did have to run at one point to make the ice cream stand before it closed.
“This time I will be able to look down on the hills, but I’ll still get to enjoy the countryside. I make a point of enjoying everything I do – the Malvern Walk was beautiful and I was in the company of some really good friends.
“This is more likely to be sheer adrenaline, and I doubt if I’ll get much of a chance to chat to the pilot.”
Dr Godfrey and her husband, BSAVA vice-president David, raised £1,085 for BSAVA PetSavers in her 2025 challenge, a marathon-length sponsored walk along the River Thames in April.
