22 May 2023
Colleagues at Donview Veterinary Centre in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, will walk more than 30km (18.6 miles) across difficult terrain for The Canmore Trust, set up in memory of a fellow vet and friend.
Paul Imrie
Job Title
The Donview team heading off on a charity hike across two days for The Canmore Trust, set up in memory of their colleague Cameron Gibson.
Colleagues at an Aberdeenshire vet practice are set for a two-day fund-raising hike in support of a suicide awareness charity set up in memory of fellow vet and friend Cameron Gibson.
Vets and VNs at Donview Veterinary Centre, Inverurie will be walking 30km (18.6 miles) across difficult terrain to raise money and help get people talking about mental health.
Cameron – a 24-year-old farm vet at Clyde Vets, Lanark – died in October 2019. His parents, Isobel and John Gibson, and siblings, Malcolm and Eilidh, set up The Canmore Trust (an anagram of Cameron) with the aim to prevent more suicides and support those left behind.
Suicide rates within the veterinary community are currently three to four times higher than the general population and the number of people struggling with depression and anxiety remains disproportionately high.
The Donview Vets group will walk across Jock’s Road to Braemar in Aberdeenshire on Saturday 10 June, and back across on Sunday, with a night of wild camping overnight between.
The route takes in the summits of two munros, Mayar (928m) and Driesh (947m), with the hikers carrying their own essentials such as tents, sleeping bags, food and waterproofs.
Lindsey Crichton, a nurse at Donview Vets based at Blackhall Industrial Estate, said: “The Canmore Trust charity is close to our hearts as it was set up in memory of one of our vet friends, Cameron, who died in 2019.
“We want to create more awareness of the issues veterinary teams face and a better understanding of the work they do behind the scenes and the pressures they are under, which have become more noticeable since COVID hit.”
Vets Mhairi Lawson, James Alcorn and Daniel Parsons, who are all experienced walkers, will lead the team, which also includes Lindsey, Callan Barratt-Gibson, Katie James, Emma Wyness, Nicole Podmore, Cari Prysor, Bronagh Goodlad and Sally Kirkpatrick.
The team will be wearing charity T-shirts from The Canmore Trust on the day, and members have already attracted sponsorship support from clients, friends and family.
Sponsor details are available online and more information on The Canmore Trust can be found on The Canmore Trust website.
The Vetlife Helpline is available 24 hours a day by telephoning 0303 040 2551.
