Awesome walking weekend

Our friend Zoe who adopted her ex-puppy farm breeder, Bella around the time that we brought Susie-Belle into our lives has just achieved an amazing, staggering challenge – literally staggering at the end.

On Saturday, Susie-Belle and I took a short trip up the road to lend our support to Zoe and her friend Lauren as they set off on a walk that would total 104km, or around 65 miles. They walked more or less non-stop, with only brief breaks from 8.20am Saturday, to the conclusion at around 12.30pm on Sunday lunchtime.

Zoe and Lauren both volunteer at Battersea Cats and Dogs Home and together hatched this crazy plan of how to spend their Summer Solstice. The walk was organised by the British Heart Foundation and apparently 60% of participants don’t complete and that seems to have been the case this year: from 1000 starters, only 400 or so finished. I can’t say I’m surprised at the failure rate, I love walking, but feel pretty tired and achey if I do more than about 10 miles. In fact the last time I walked 10 miles was a few years ago, 6 miles is more the level I do these days. So, to do 10 times that distance, without resting up, is just simply outstanding endurance.

Zoe has run several fundraising marathons so she’s no stranger to hard training and endurance, but she described this weekend’s walk as like nothing she’s ever done. Last night after getting home and resting, her muscles were seized up, her feet were bleeding and she couldn’t stand upright.

I am overcome with admiration for what Lauren and Zoe have achieved. They did it to raise funds for two animal welfare charities who have helped two of Zoe’s dogs: both Bella and her spaniel Woody came through Many Tears Animal Rescue and Bella was fostered at the Diana Brimblecombe Animal Rescue Centre by Janet, Susie-Belle’s foster mum. Their fundraising page is still open here.

Just incredible kindness and dedication to making a difference to the lives of animals.

For more on Bella’s story see here.