This year a team of Vets and Vet Nurses from Cromwell Veterinary Group, Cambridgeshire, are taking on the Chiltern 50km Ultra Marathon on Saturday 26th September.

Vetlife is an important charity to us all at Cromwell's. The charity provides support to our veterinary community in times of severe emotional or health concerns.

The veterinary community continues to experience significantly higher levels of depression and suicide then the general profession. Veterinarians are 4 times more likely to die from suicide than the general public, and nearly 70% of veterinarians have lost a colleague to suicide. A study on veterinary nurses found that nearly 75% of respondents had personally experienced a mental health concern and only half had received professional support for this.

Recently this has heightened with the continual negative press coverage the industry receives. As a result there are higher levels of anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts within our community.

By promoting Vetlife, we promote to friends, families, colleagues and clients, that we are more predisposed to ill mental health due to the critical paradox, emotional and physical distress, complaints, long hours...and the list goes on!

We also remind peers that it is okay to not be okay and seek help.