SIX work colleagues are going to climb 4400 feet, walk 74 miles and cycle 74 miles in a bid to raise �12,000 for abandoned and injured animals.

Dave Morgan, aged 50, Mark Anderson, 41, Paul Hunter, 46, Craig Goldsworthy, 37, Tom O’Connell, 31, and Brian Warne, 45, who work in the ground maintenance team at Wood Green Animal Shelter in Godmanchester, have signed up to the gruelling long distance endurance challenge in Scotland this June.

The seven-day trip will raise money for a biochemistry machine and surgical equipment for neutering animals at the shelter’s new �3.6million surgery.

It will begin on June 5 with a 10-hour climb up Ben Nevis followed by a 74 mile walk from Fort William to Inverness. The group will then cycle back from Inverness to Fort William.

Brian said: “The team will need to bond over the next four months and a good team spirit will be paramount. The money we raise can only improve the surgery capabilities and help ensure the work we do here continues and gives more animals in our care a better chance of recovery.”

Head of veterinary services at the shelter Vanessa Cunningham said: “The biochemistry machine allows us to run basic blood samples in house rather than have to send then off to an external laboratory which can take 24 to 48 hours.

“In critical patients or over a weekend when the laboratories are closed this provision is essential. The blood tests check that vital organ systems such as the liver and kidneys are working effectively or if conditions like diabetes are present. Armed with the blood results we can treat the animal in the most appropriate way.”

INFORMATION: To sponsor the group visit www.justgiving.com/tomtomoconnell.