Felicity Caddick, our Senior Veterinary Manager , has raised more than £500 for StreetVet, our charity of the year, by completing her first Ironman event on 25 July in Nottingham. She finished the gruelling event in 14 hours and 16 minutes, having:

• Swum 3.8 km at the Regatta Lake at the National Watersports Centre
• Cycled for 180 km through the Nottinghamshire countryside
• Run a marathon (42 km) along the River Trent path.

An experienced runner and cyclist, Felicity trained alone and virtually for much of the build-up, especially as swimming was not possible until recently.

She said: “On the day, the water felt warm for what turned out to be a really lovely swim.  The 180 km bike ride was tough but it was an interesting course and, by the time I got to the run, I was able to enjoy myself. I have run multiple marathons so have experience of the distance.

“Having spent all week looking at weather reports of thunder, lightning and extreme weather warnings I had purchased multiple rain jackets to keep me dry and warm on the bike and run.  Of course, what actually happened was that it was really sunny so I had to hastily apply sunscreen mid-race.  At the end we had to run round the lake twice and, with all of the supporters cheering so loudly, it really built a feeling of anticipation for the finish.

“Once I’d crossed the line and found my supporters, I put my water on the ground to pose for a photo and my spaniel Sprocket drank it.  I guess she deserved it after a hard day’s watching me. I was very tired but very happy too – and I’m delighted to have raised these vital funds for StreetVet.”

StreetVet is a charity offering professional veterinary care and support to pets belonging to those experiencing homelessness. It has recently launched an accredited hostel scheme and is working to encourage more hostels in the UK to become pet-friendly so that homeless people do not have to choose between their best friend and a roof over their head. Funds raised by Animalcare will help it to continue to provide vital veterinary support. Animalcare also provides its identichip® microchips, microchip scanners and a free lifetime change of address service for StreetVet clients. As they try to rebuild their lives, homeless people often move through different accommodation, so the lifetime change of address is really significant to support them and their pets.