On Saturday 28 September I am taking part in the North Downs 50km Challenge walking from Farnham to Reigate, a total of just over 31 miles! Mad or what......anything for the love of dogs and cats too!!

I have been coming to Kalkan since 2013 and like everyone else keep coming back! I just love the area, the people and the lovely street animals through which I have made many wonderful friends.

So the main reason of my personal challenge is to raise much needed funds for FKFD (Friends of Kinik Forest Dogs), KAPSA (Kalkan Association for the Protection of Street Animals) and Kas Animal Friends Charity all based in Antalya Province, Turkey and lastly Kas Animal Friends Charity NL in the Netherlands. Four separate groups of volunteers that do so much to improve the welfare and lives of all the street animals in the area. Whatever I raise will be divided equally between each one.

FKFD - The ultimate aim of FKFD is to work with and support the local volunteers (Linda, Sharon and Mike) in their tireless efforts to alleviate the suffering of the abandoned dogs and puppies in the Kinik Forest area. Funds are raised to maintain a daily feeding programme throughout the year. Any sick or injured animal is taken to Kalkan vets for treatment which is kindly funded by KAPSA. On average Linda and Sharon feed 60 dogs and puppies every day.

KAPSA - A group of like-minded volunteers who care deeply about the health and well being of Kalkan’s street animals and wish to promote informed and compassionate action to improve the living conditions of all Kalkan’s animals through neutering, medical care and a winter feeding programme.

Kas Animal Friends - Aid the local neutering programme, tend to the sick and injured dogs and cats around Kas whilst actively supporting the Kas Animal Sanctuary. Activities are organised to raise funds to provide medical and surgical treatment for sick and injured cats and dogs, to make structual improvements to the shelter, to provide additional comforts for its residents, especially the young and vulnerable and to provide food to street cats and dogs.

Kas Animal Friends NL - ’Every dog counts, and you make the difference for that dog.’ Their mission is to search for loving forever homes for dogs from the Kas Animal Sanctuary. Team Holland find suitable adopters and provide any necessary foster care, and transport to the Netherlands accompanied by suitable flight guides. It’s founder Beppie Wijsbeek works very closely with the sanctuary’s main volunteers and Didem the state vet to assess which dogs may be suitable for adoption. Since it was founded in 2012 Beppie will have re-homed 95 lucky dogs by the end of October 2019.