Trustee of SPANA to run London Marathon

Trustee of SPANA to run London Marathon to raise funds for the global working animal charity

Buckinghamshire based Marianne Davies will be running The London Marathon this month to raise funds for the global working animal charity SPANA (the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad).   

On 23 April, Marianne will be taking on the 26.2-mile course across the capital, setting off in Blackheath in Greenwich, and finishing on The Mall in Westminster, by Buckingham Palace. The SPANA Trustee member will no doubt be in good company, as fellow equestrians such as Jonty Evans and Sam Ecroyd will also be running to raise funds for a charity close to their heart.

Marianne will be running in support of SPANA, a charity that works to transform the welfare of working animals in low-income countries, of which she is a Trustee.  

Marianne currently works as Global Head of People Services with GSK and has been a member of SPANA’s Board of Trustees since September 2021. 

Marianne said: 

I am thrilled to be taking on this challenge and hope to raise invaluable funds and awareness for a charity that is very close to my heart.  

Having visited many of the countries where SPANA works, I have seen first-hand the essential role played by working animals in vulnerable communities, helping families to earn a small income and survive. Working animals often live short, painful lives in terrible conditions, with no available veterinary care when they are sick or injured. This is why SPANA’s work is so vital – improving the welfare of working animals across the world, so they can live healthy and valued lives.’ 

Globally, an estimated 200 million working animals support the livelihoods of families in low-income communities, through such activities as transporting food, water, goods and firewood. Yet, despite the importance of their work, working animals often face difficult lives and poor welfare, toiling in extreme conditions, with no available veterinary care when they are sick or injured. 

SPANA works to transform the welfare of working animals across the world, through global activities that include ensuring the provision of veterinary treatment, training for owners in animal care and the teaching of animal welfare for children. 

SPANA is marking its centenary in 2023. The charity was founded 100 years ago, in 1923, by British mother and daughter, Kate and Nina Hosali, who travelled across North Africa in the early 1920s and were struck by the suffering and neglect of many of the working animals they encountered. Last year, SPANA provided vital care and support to more than 291,000 working animals across the world.  

All the funds raised by Marianne will go towards SPANA’s vital work. If you would like to donate and support Marianne’s efforts, please visit her JustGiving fundraising page at justgiving – marianne-davies.