Top dogs raise money for charity
Dogs of all breeds, shapes and sizes descended on St Mary’s on Friday 29 March for the annual Dog Show. The show formed the finale of two weeks of fundraising undertaken by students and staff at St Mary’s to raise money to enable sick and disabled children to visit Lourdes in France this summer.
Other activities organised included a teacher talent show, which showcased teachers doing everything from karate and dance to acrobatics and musical performances; a ‘sponge the teacher’ event and a staff netball match, as well as raffles, cake sales, and face and nail painting were also popular. However, the dog show was definitely the highlight of the fortnight, with a record number of entries this year.
The dogs took part in agility courses, as well as beauty and obedience competitions. For the agility course man’s best friend had to navigate a ramp, hurdles, hoops, weave poles and finally a tunnel. An enthusiastic crowd of students, staff and parents cheered them on as the dogs and their owners raced around the course. Spaniels dominated the podium in the agility category: springer spaniel Alfie triumphed, with cocker spaniels Octavia and Millicent coming second and third.
Lottie, whose heritage includes poodle, labrador and spaniel, won the beauty competition, closely followed by cockapoo Bertie and cocker sprocker spaniel Bramble. Golden retriever puppy Thakley, who is training to be a guide dog, received a special prize for cuteness! Pippa won the obedience category, with Italian spinone Enzo coming second and cockapoo Flynn finishing in third place.
The Fundraising Fortnight forms just one part of year-round fundraising activities at St Mary’s which raise money for local, national and international charities. In October students and staff raced around Lammas Land dressed up as astronauts and aliens for a charity fun run, themed ‘To Infinity and Beyond’, which raised over £7,900 for charities such as Tom’s Trust, SENSE and St Mary’s sister school in Zimbabwe. More recently the boarders at St Mary’s organised and performed a concert to raise money for CARE, an international charity which supports women and girls around the world.
Ms Avery commented: “Our staff and students do a fantastic job every year fundraising for local, national and international charities. For example, our charity fun run in October raised over £7,900. There is no doubt that the dog show is one of the most popular fundraising events of the year!”
Take a look at our gallery of the Dog Show
Responsible citizens at St Mary's School