Birmingham fundraiser with rare disease goes extra mile with her pet to support the hospital charity

Charly Allso is walking a total of 100 miles in February with her deaf rescue cat, Evelyn to raise money for Solihull Hospital Charity and Vasculitis UK.

Charly, from Solihull, was diagnosed with Urticarial Vasculitis five years ago, a condition that causes inflammation of the blood vessels, and later with connective tissue disorder Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Charly was diagnosed at Solihull Hospital and spent much of her early 20s there. She said, “To this day I am still under the same amazing consultant at Solihull Hospital, my family and I don’t know where I would be without her and the rest of the team.”

Charly wanted to do something to give back and to raise awareness, especially for young people with disabilities. She decided to take on a walking challenge, bringing her rescue cat Evelyn along with her and the pair are raising money for Solihull Hospital Charity and Vasculitis UK. She said, “Evelyn is really pushing me on because without her I wouldn’t be doing these things.” On the walks, Evelyn sits on Charly’s shoulders or goes in her backpack and the pair get a lot of attention! Charly says she doesn’t mind, and would rather people come up to talk to her as it helps her spread awareness about her condition.

National ‘Love Your Pet Day’ takes place on 20th February, part way through Charly and Evelyn’s challenge and is an opportunity to celebrate your furry friends. The hospital charity is so grateful to Charly for her support as it also has a close affinity to pets with its Pets in Hospital scheme which sees specially assessed dogs visiting patients and staff with their owners at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Heartlands and Solihull Hospitals. For many patients who have to spend a number of days in hospital, the thing they miss the most is their home comforts, and one of those can be their pets. This is where the Pets in Hospital dogs and their wonderful owners step in. They volunteer their time, and the visits really help to reduce anxiety and enhance patient communication and interaction.

The hospital charity is always looking for new volunteers and their dogs to take part in the programme. Full training is provided, and the charity has a dedicated Volunteer Coordinator to provide support and advice to volunteers. It’s a fantastic way to meet new people whilst supporting your local hospital. The scheme helps spread joy to patients to improve their hospital experience, as well as boosting morale for staff.

Nicki and her dog, Catie regularly visit patients and staff at Solihull Hospital. Nicki said, “We love visiting the wards and departments at the hospital. Catie brings a smile to everyone’s face and really helps to boost their mood. It’s a lovely thing to do and it really benefits patients, staff and visitors to the hospital.”

Pets in Hospital is completely funded by the hospital charity and you can support the scheme by sponsoring a dog for £30 a month to help the charity continue providing Pets in Hospital visits at your local hospital.

To become a Pets in Hospitals volunteer or to find out more about sponsoring a dog, visit: hospitalcharity.org/petsinhospital