THIS SUMMER holiday saw 12-year-old Izaak Yeoman as a boy with a mission as he set off with and his dad, Gregory, from the World Wildlife Fund’s UK head office in Woking to its offices in Gland Switzerland on a 600-mile bike ride.

They are well on their way to exceeding their target of £5,000 to raise funds to protect pangolins, the world’s most illegally trafficked species, which the charity includes in its work to prevent the international trade of illegal species.

Inspired by their dedication, environmentalist and broadcast icon Sir David Attenborough wished the pair “every success with their ride” and said in a letter to them that he was “impressed by their dedication to help protect pangolins”.

Pangolins, native to Asia and Africa, are the most trafficked mammal in the world, sought after for their meat and unique scales. In the last 10 years, over one million pangolins have been illegally taken from the wild to feed demand in China and Vietnam.

Donations are open via Izaak and Gregory’s page with Virgin Money at https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/YeomansForPangolins. To learn more about the endangered pangolins, please visit www.wwf.org.uk.

For the full story get the 1 August edition of the News & Mail