On Monday 27 May 2013 I will be running the BUPA 10km through London for SPANA – the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad. This is a truly wonderful charity whose mission is to help some of the 200 million working animals that carry out the backbreaking jobs of trucks, tractors and taxis across the world.

SPANA is a charity that means an awful lot to me. In 2010 I went to Morocco on holiday, and, while of course I appreciated the many brilliant things about the country, I spent a lot of the time in floods of tears as a result of the suffering I saw on the part of working animals all around me. Many were covered in open fly-infested sores, wounds and abscesses, which were being perpetually aggravated by the rubbing of ill-fitting harnesses, saddles and bits. Others were emaciated through starvation and dehydration. Hundreds were clearly in agony as a result of untreated disease, lameness or other injury.

Until then I had no understanding of the extent to which horses, donkeys, mules, camels and other animals are used in various parts of the world to transport people and goods, and to do the work of machines that we take for granted in agriculture and industry. These ‘beasts of burden’ often endure short and brutal lives, living and working in the searing heat and in conditions of ill-health, malnutrition and pain that would break the heart of any humane onlooker.

When I returned I researched the plight of these animals in depth, and was absolutely delighted when I discovered SPANA. This amazing organisation provides free veterinary care, through its clinics across Africa and the Middle East, to hundreds of thousands of working animals every year. It also educates owners and children in animal welfare, and administers urgent help to animals caught up in emergencies such as conflict, drought, and other natural disasters. Its dedicated staff and volunteers relieve suffering on a daily basis through the charity’s permanent programmes in Ethiopia, Jordan, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Syria and Tunisia, as well as through its outreach and emergency programmes in Botswana, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Mongolia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. 

I feel very conscious and ashamed of the fact that, during every minute of every day that I spend going about my business, pain-free and well-fed and spoilt as I am, there are animals suffering silently in their millions in the service of man around the world. Please, please help me to help SPANA to help these animals by sponsoring me to run in the BUPA 10km.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.