I’m David, from Gargrave in North Yorkshire, and I'm running “Britain's most brutal race”, the Montane Winter Spine, starting on the 11th January 2026. It's a non-stop, self-supported 268-mile ultramarathon along the Pennine Way from Edale to Kirk Yetholm. I am hoping to raise money to benefit my local Craven Wildlife Rescue, one of the leading wildlife rescue charities in North Yorkshire. Any donation, however small, will make a huge impact to this locally-run charity. Craven Wildlife Rescue relies entirely on volunteers and people’s generous donations, so thank you in advance for your support. Melanie, my partner, will be updating and running the fundraiser. You can follow my progress (“dot-watch”) on the official Montane Spine Race page, thespinerace.com

Craven Wildlife Rescue covers over 500 square miles of countryside. Since its foundation in 2019 and registration as a charity in 2024, it has worked to alleviate the suffering of over 1,500 wild animals, with numbers rising every year. Run entirely by volunteers and relying solely on donations, the charity takes in injured, sick and dying hedgehogs, owls and birds of prey, otters, swans, badgers, herons, deer, and many other mammals and birds, nursing them back to health and returning them to the wild when they are well enough. CWR works with a range of agencies, and vets (including their own in-house volunteer vet) to ensure that standards of care are high. Samantha Burnell, RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Small Animal Medicine at Ashlands Vets, says: “We refer a wide range of wildlife to Craven Wildlife Rescue for ongoing care. They do a vital job rehabilitating and returning wildlife to its natural habitat. Their levels of care are some of the best we have ever seen in a wildlife rescue context. Without them, this wildlife - many of it red- or amber-listed - would simply have little to no chance of survival.”

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.