2 Aug 2022
A vet who completed a 1,300-mile ride from John o’ Groats to Land’s End has already raised three times her initial target for charity – and her travelling days may not be over yet.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Kate McMorris and her horse Marilyn at Land’s End.
A fund-raising vet said she has been overwhelmed with kindness as she finished her 1,300-mile ride from John o’ Groats to Land’s End.
Kate McMorris reached the tip of Cornwall at the end of July, three months after setting off from the north of Scotland on her seven-year-old horse, Marilyn.
But with donations still coming in, she has already raised nearly three times her initial £5,000 target for Vetlife and Pets As Therapy.
Many supporters who have followed Miss McMorris’ and Marilyn’s progress through her Facebook page helped by supplying water during their trip.
But Miss McMorris said the help she received had gone far beyond that. She said: “It’s so easy to get bogged down with how difficult people can be in everyday life.
“This has really made me realise how kind and generous people can be, the amount of support I’ve had. People have taken me into their homes; fed me; picked me up in the trailer. There’s been so much support and I’ve met some lovely people.”
Social media has been a vital factor in donations to Miss McMorris’ JustGiving page, exceeding £15,000 so far.
She said: “Whatever I do, I feel so touched to have had the support of so many Facebook friends and supporters. Despite my ravings, their kind words each day, their rallying cries, and their love has made my quest with Marilyn all the more possible and enjoyable.”
Miss McMorris also took time out from her own fund-raising efforts to offer support to John Gibson, who is making the reverse journey on foot with the aim of raising £250,000 for The Canmore Trust, a charity set up in memory of his son Cameron – a 24-year-old farm vet who took his own life three years ago.
She said: “He is such an amazing guy. I know he’s going to do a lot for his cause.”
Research by Vetlife has suggested vets are as much as four times more likely to take their own lives than the general population, and Miss McMorris is concerned that the continuing pressure on the sector will lead to greater pressure on the charity’s services in the months ahead.
She said: “They’ve recruited about 100 more people to be on the end of the phone to manage the increased need. Everything we can do to help is really important.”
And, as she faces the prospect of returning to her own professional life, Miss McMorris hinted her travelling days may not be over.
She said: “I’ve got to come back to reality and go back to doing some work and running a smallholding. I might just plan another trip.”
Donations can still be made via Miss McMorris’ JustGiving page.
