Chair of BSAVA PetSavers embarks on 42km Thames Challenge to raise vital research funds

17 April 2025

Rosie Godfrey, Chair of the BSAVA PetSavers Management Committee is taking on the Thames Challenge, walking 42 kilometres from Hampton Court Palace to the Millennium Bridge on Saturday 26^th April to raise money for BSAVA PetSavers.

Going into her fourth year as the Committee Chair, Rosie started up the ‘Chair’s Challenge’ in 2024 for BSAVA PetSavers 50^th year, walking the Malvern Hills end-to-end alongside a team of PetSavers supporters. This year she wanted to set herself more of a challenge, with the goal of raising £1,000 for BSAVA PetSavers, and in the hope that the ‘Chair’s Challenge’ becomes more of an annual event.

Talking about why she has chosen to take on the challenge, Rosie said: “I love walking, but had not really walked much more over 10 miles in one go before, and so I wanted to set myself a challenge, as well as raise money for BSAVA PetSavers. The charity is close to my heart and although small, is a vital funder of small animal clinical research in the UK.”

As part of her role as BSAVA PetSavers Management Committee Chair, Rosie supports BSAVA staff in the everyday running and organisation of BSAVA PetSavers, assisting with planning, expenditure and key fundraising strategies.

She continued: “BSAVA PetSavers’ research has helped to advance companion animal veterinary medicine, as well as supporting the early careers of many, now eminent, clinical researchers. We get strong applications for all our grants every year, but we unfortunately don’t have the money to fund them all. I want BSAVA PetSavers to be able to continue to fund new projects, launch research careers and help support improvements in the veterinary care of our pets well into the future.”

Rosie has been training for this walk over the past few weeks, alongside her husband David Godfrey, BSAVA Vice President, who hopes to join her for the challenge.

She concluded: “For the first time in my life, I have become acquainted with the gym, its machinery and terminology. My lovely trainer Carla has helped a middle-aged, non-sporty woman feel comfortable and relatively competent in the gym, and I think my fitness is now in the rough ballpark for completing the Challenge. David and I walked over 21 miles last Saturday, so bring it on!”

To donate, you can visit Rosie’s Just Giving page and read all of her training updates here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/rosie-godfrey-1735641930556?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL.