Student vet nurse goes extra mile in half marathon

04 October 2023

A student vet nurse is going the extra mile for the pets in her care after signing up to this year’s Shrewsbury Metric Half Marathon.

Nancy Foster, who lives in Albrighton, is studying veterinary nursing at Wolverhampton PDSA Pet Hospital but is swapping her scrubs for her running kit on Sunday 8 October to take on the 13.1km challenge.

The 27-year-old said she’s seen first-hand the impact PDSA has on families in the city and wanted to do something to give back.

“Every day I see the amazing impact that PDSA has on pets in need and their families and I couldn’t be prouder to work here,” she explained. “Everyone works so hard, from the care assistants to the cleaners to the vets, it’s a great team to be a part of.

“I’ve always wanted to do some sort of charity challenge so when the opportunity to do the Shrewsbury Metric Half Marathon came up I thought – why not!”    

Nancy’s running alongside her husband, Josh Foster, (28), who will be dressed in veterinary scrubs, and father in law, Trev Foster, (53) , who’s running dressed as Scooby Doo.

“Josh and Trev have done quite a few charity runs before but this will be my first,” she added. “I’ve been training a lot, I’m nervous but excited.”

The trio are hoping to raise more than £1,000 for PDSA.

Josh, who runs his own architecture business, said: “My dad and I have done a fair few charity runs but this is our first time taking on the Shrewsbury one – we’re looking forward to it.

“Back in 2013 we were both involved in a bad car accident where my dad had to be airlifted to hospital. Many charities were there for us on the day and in recovery, so we wanted to do something to say thank you. That’s when we started running and completed our first half marathon the following year.

“We’ve done some sort of charity run roughly every year since – always raising money for a different charity that means something to us or family members. This year we’ve convinced Nancy to get involved and we’re all running for PDSA.

“Not only do we have our dog Finley, so we know how important pets are, but I’m so proud of Nancy for all she does at PDSA. I’m glad we’re able to do something to raise money for the charity.” 

Nancy and Josh have a white German Shepherd called Finley who they rescued when he was just two years old.  

Wolverhampton PDSA Pet Hospital is one of 48 PDSA Pet Hospitals across the country which delivers free and low cost veterinary care to poorly pets in need. In 2022, the hospital on Tuxford Close, off Hilton Street, saw 7,757 pets, carrying out 1086 x-rays, 613 surgical operations and 709 ultrasounds.

Amy Wareing-Reid, Fundraising Manager at PDSA, said: “We’re all so thankful to Nancy, Josh and Trev for supporting PDSA at this year’s Shrewsbury Metric Half Marathon. The trio’s generous fundraising efforts will enable us to continue our life-saving work, treating pets whose owners have nowhere else to turn. It is thanks to the incredible support of kind-hearted people like Nancy, Josh and Trev, that we are able to provide vital treatment for poorly animals and make a real difference to their owners.”

To find out more about PDSA, or find a fundraising challenge of your own, head to pdsa.org.uk