FIFTY walkers strode out into the Hampshire countryside this month to raise funds for family support charity Home-Start Winchester.
Dogs of all shapes and sizes took part, from tiny Yorkshire terriers to a Doberman and, despite lowering skies, they took off full of beans to tackle two walks of different lengths.
The short walk arrived back at base unscathed but the long walkers arrived drenched to the skin, as the clouds opened half a mile from home.
“It was just as well we had mugs of hot soup waiting back at Bighton Village Hall,” said event organiser Chrissie Barlow. “However, dog walkers are a tough breed and, as we were all glowing with the exercise, we dried off quickly.”
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Event sponsor Dan Bliss joined in with his friendly Lurcher called Cody and some of his colleagues from Gay Dog Boarding Kennels at Bradley. “It’s always a good excuse for a different walk, as Home-Start ring the changes every year,” said Dan, whose family business has been involved with the walk since 2018.
The £750 raised will support the charity’s work in and around Winchester, where Home-Start supports some 85 families each week, either in their own homes, or at their five family groups and drop-in centres.
“Every charity is finding life tough at the moment,” said Home-Start Winchester chair Stephanie Durrant, who called in for a ploughman’s and a mug of soup. “What you have raised today will go towards our work with families in the area in the coming year.”
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