Fundraiser's challenge to help horses

A SUPPORTER of the endangered Suffolk Punch horse is set for a fundraising trek - after having to postpone her original attempt.

Charlotte Kerry, a volunteer worker with the horses in Suffolk, was due to undertake the Three Peaks challenge in Yorkshire on August 9.

The challenge involves scaling three mountains in 12 hours - but Miss Kerry had to put back the date to August 29 after sustaining knee problems.

The 26-year-old horse lover, who has a home in Ipswich, is a student at York University and will perform the challenge with two other university colleagues, although they are supporting different charities.

The Suffolk Punch Trust wants to build an educational and administrative centre costing £1million at the stud at Hollesley, near Woodbridge and has had to launch a fundraising appeal after the Heritage Lottery Fund refused to give a grant.

Miss Kerry said she was a passionate supporter of the Suffolk Punch Trust and she is urging the public to support the fundraising appeal and her trek.

Miss Kerry said: “I have been a committed volunteer for just over a year, witnessing the trust's efforts to raise not just money but education for those who have never had the privilege of observing these majestic animals.

“With only 396 Punches worldwide, compared to 1,600 giant pandas, their plight is often overlooked.

“The charity's recent unsuccessful bid for lottery funding to build an education centre, enabling the stud to open its doors to the public, means the very survival of the breed in the UK is at risk.”

She added: “Our heritage as a largely agricultural nation has relied upon these animals to sustain our own living, thus acknowledging the dependency people once had upon these animals.”

Anyone who would like to support Miss Kerry can sponsor her through www.justgiving.com/charlottemcenery