Paws Around the Park 2019
Charity Dog Walk and Fun Dog Show
When
Sunday 14 July, 2019 10:00am -2:30pm BST
Where
Godmersham Park, Nr Ashford CT4 7DT
AMPLE FREE PARKING
FREE entry
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
Step 1: Sign up for FREE by REGISTERING – either Email Us or telephone Nicola Darling in our Maidstone office on 0345 143 0214 (local call)
Step 2: We’ll send you a sponsorship pack - or you can set up a JustGiving page in just a few clicks : 'Start Fundraising', 'Guide Dogs' and 'Organised event' and Paws Around The Park 2019 should appear in the list.
Step 3: Raise sponsorship money for your sponsored walk - share your JustGiving page and your story on Facebook, Twitter, tell all your friends!!!
Step 4: Come Along and join the fun on 14th July
Step 5: Tell us all about it! Send us your pictures and tells us your story, or post about your walk on our Facebook page.
We challenge you to raise £35 in sponsorship – enough to support a guide dog partnership for a whole week - and if you do we will give you a FREE Guide Dogs Bandana!
Check out our fundraising ideas to get started, and our shopping list to see what your sponsorship can go towards. Once registered you will be on your way to helping support more Guide Dog partnerships
ON THE DAY
Be there by 10am when the Fun Dog Show begins (all winners will receive a rosette). The “paws’off” of the 2 mile sponsored walk is at 11:45 am (registration for the walk by 11.30 am). The dog walk will take you along a guided route of this beautiful privately owned park. All the sponsor money raised by you and your gorgeous four legged friend, will be given to Guide Dogs.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please keep your dog on lead at all times. We recommend sturdy footwear is worn by walkers and regret that the course is not suitable for wheelchairs/motorised scooters.
FUN DOG SHOW CLASSES:
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prettiest bitch
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most handsome dog
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most appealing eyes
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waggiest tail
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best brace (two dogs together)
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Best Crossbreed
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Best Rescue
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Best Veteran (over 7 years)
HISTORY OF PAWS AROUND THE PARK
Many events and ideas happen “over a pint” and ours was no exception! ABDO (Association of British Dispensing Opticians) have generously supported Guide Dogs over many years, and an opportunity to stage a dog walk in the grounds of this privately owned Estate was grabbed with both paws. This year, will be our fourth outing at Godmersham Park. It is a beautiful unique venue, and we are very grateful to ABDO and the Trustees of the Estate for their support.
At the beginning (in 2015), Paws Around the Park, then called “Dogs Unite”, welcomed around 50 beautifully behaved dogs, who generously raised over £2000 for Guide Dogs. Encouraged, we held the walk again the following year, and welcomed even more wonderful dogs who raised a howling £3,500!!! 2017 we rebranded our event as 'Paws Around The Park' adding a Fun Dog Show to the mix and we raised £4,500, and then a staggering £6k in 2018. We are sure 2019 will once again be a great day for you and your dog!
Of the five senses we have, losing the sense of sight is the one that most people fear losing. At Guide Dogs, if you lose some or all of your sight, we ensure that you don’t lose your freedom as well. Guide Dogs bear all the costs of a guide dog, from breeding to retirement, and that includes the cost of training, bedding, food and all veterinary treatment. That lifetime cost is currently £58,000 per dog.
Your sponsorship money will enable Guide Dogs to help those with sight loss. If you raise £35, it could buy a guide dog’s white harness; £140 could buy a Starter Kit for a new guide dog owner, containing everything they need to start a life with their new guide dog.
Do join us, for we know that with your help and that of your four legged friend, Paws Around the Park will be a spectacular event for raising funds to support the next generation of guide dogs.
Keep up to date with all the news on our Facebook page and follow us @GDAshford on Twitter #pawsaroundthepark
Thank you and we really look forward to meeting you and your beautiful dog on the 14th July!
From
Stephen Fryer & members of the Ashford Branch of Guide Dogs