This Sunday, May 20, sees the annual sponsored dog walk in aid of our local community hospice, Beaumond House. The walk is being supported by the store, Pets At Home and the local division of the dog sitting and pet care company, Barking Mad run by Alex Doy.

Participants are asked to arrive at 10am and the walk will start at 10.30am in Stapleford Woods. There is a cost of £5 to register and you can either do this by printing off a form on the Beaumond House website at www.beaumondhouse.co.uk or collect one from the Pets at Home store in Newark.

This event is great fun for you and your dog and not too hard to do. Stapleford Woods is a great place to walk and is traffic free.

If you do decide to come along, there are a few rules to bear in mind, but first and foremost all children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

No more than two dogs are allowed for each person and all dogs are the responsibility of the handler on the day and must be kept on a lead at all times. Water and refreshments are provided, but the organisers do ask that you bring a supply of poop scoop dog bags to clean up after your dog.

Although the route is only two miles long, it is important that you and your dog must be physically fit and able to complete the walk. Your dog must be up to date with all their vaccines and any female dogs that participate must not be in season.

Barking Mad, Pets At Home or Beaumond House Community Hospice are not liable for any injuries caused by fellow participants or their dogs.

All money raised for the sponsored dog walk will be donated to Beaumond House Community Hospice. This local charity is close to everybody’s hearts and it is a very special year for them as they celebrate 25 years of hospice care. I have written many times about our wonderful hospice but just to remind you, Beaumond House is a special place where experienced staff care for people who are either very poorly or perhaps will sadly never get better.

Beaumond House is a registered charity and has to rely on fundraising and donations from local people so that the carers and nurses can continue to look after patients in such a special way.

So by taking part in this event you will be helping this wonderful cause. Happy walking.