Animal lover takes on marathon challenge to help animals most in need

An animal lover from West Sussex will don his running shoes and take part in Brighton Marathon this September to raise vital funds for the RSPCA.

Joseph Wood, who lives in Horsham in West Sussex, decided to take on the marathon challenge to raise funds for the RSPCA as he has always been an animal lover.

This will be his second marathon after running the 26.2 miles back in 2017 for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Joseph said: “I like all animals from cats to budgies, so I wanted to raise money for the RSPCA to help animals in need. I have a one-year-old cat called Luna who I absolutely love. She’s a Snowshoe cat and she’s basically like a dog in a cat’s body. We’ve even taught her to play fetch!”

The RSPCA gets around 84,000 calls to its cruelty line every month and around 1,500 of those are about intentional cruelty. But the charity sees a rise in the Summer by around 400 calls, on average, per month. This means 47 calls every day or two every hour.

Joseph has been steadily training for the day on Sunday, September 12, with scenic runs across the South Downs.

He said: “The South Downs is perfect for running and training for the marathon. I might beat the time I did before but I’ll be happy if I get the same time and raise lots of money for the RSPCA.”

Every year, the charity rescues over 100,000 animals and relies on generous donations from the public to continue its vital work rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming or releasing animals. The last 18 months have seen fundraising events such as Brighton marathon cancelled and so charities need support now more than ever.

To support Joseph’s challenge, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/joseph-wood7