Beverley Hunt
My Story
I decided to raise money for The Humanimal Trust (www.humanimaltrust.org.uk) while walking the coast of Cornwall, something I’d been wanting to do for years.
So why did I do this and what is The Humanimal Trust?
Being lucky enough to live in Cornwall, and being a keen photographer, I’m often out and about taking pictures of the stunning scenery around me. On a recent visit to Bedruthan Steps on the North Cornwall coast, somewhere I hadn’t visited in years, I realised there was so much of the Cornish Coast I hadn’t yet seen.
With a big birthday (half century! approaching in 2020 the idea of completing 50 walks covering the whole of the Cornish coastline before that milestone began to form. My 50/50 walks for 2020 challenge was born!
After watching Channel 4’s ‘Supervet’ programme and being fascinated by the advancements in veterinary medicine being championed by Noel Fitzpatrick and his team, I became aware of the concept of One Medicine and the charity founded by Noel – The Humanimal Trust. The charity believes humans and animals should benefit simultaneously from advances in medicine and healthcare. 250 years ago vets and medics went their separate ways with breakthroughs in treatments in both fields rarely being shared even though the diseases in humans and animals were the same. Unless this changes finding cures for medical conditions and diseases, including cancer, will take longer.
My goal was to raise as much money as I could for the Humanimal Trust and my challenge started in April 2018, on my birthday. I tweeted pictures of each walk and had a lot of amazing support along the way. My original target of £500 quickly doubled and by the end of my challenge the amount raised was over four times that amount which was amazing.
Due to the pandemic I was unable to complete the whole of the coast path, but will do so as soon as travel restrictions are lifted. I adapted the last three walks however so that I completed 50 walks by my 50th birthday as planned.
After completing my challenge I produced a calendar of the most popular (‘liked’) pictures, with all proceeds going to the Humanimal Trust. It was a real challenge whittling down the thousands of photos I took to just 12 but the end result was really pleasing and the photos brought back nice memories of the stunning scenery I passed through while walking along the Cornish coast path. The calendars went all over the world and I hope helped to spread the word about One Medicine and the Humanimal Trust.
If you enjoyed the pictures I took during my challenge, or if you would like to show your support, please donate using the link on this page. All donations, no matter how big or small, will be greatly appreciated.
Your generosity will help to further the work of The Humanimal Trust and help bring One Medicine one step closer.
Thank you.