Puppies and Pimm’s will be the order of the day on June 23 at Canine Partners’ national training centre in Midhurst, where the charity trains assistance dogs to transform the lives of people with disabilities.
The family day out promises fun for all the family, including the dogs. Now in its fourth year, Puppies and Pimm’s has grown to become an annual fixture on the calendar, with more than 750 people attending last year. An all-day event from 11am-4pm, it includes a host of activities to keep the whole family entertained, whatever their age.
In addition to live arena demonstrations showing exactly how a canine partner helps someone who has a disability, there will be music, an opportunity to buy local crafts and cakes as well as Canine Partners’ merchandise. For the children there will be a bouncy castle, ice creams plus their very own kids’ zone. For adults there will be a barbecue and refreshments, including Pimm’s, tours round the centre, tombola and more.
There will be a chance to meet some of the charity’s newest recruits, as volunteer puppy parents bring their pups along to enjoy the fun. There will also be a fun dog show which will be looking for the best-looking fog, waggiest tail and the dog the judge would most like to take home. Entry into the dog show is just £2. For the more active dog and child, there will be agility courses – one for the dog, and one for the child.
Isabel Campbell, director of fundraising and operations, said: “Puppies and Pimm’s is a wonderful day out for everyone in the local area. Last year we raised £5,000, a great amount we hope to exceed this year.
“As we receive no government funding, we are reliant on events such as these to boost our fundraising activities. We currently have around 200 working partnerships throughout the country, a figure we are striving to increase due to the volume of people who could benefit from a canine partner.”
The fun starts at 11am, and entry for adults is a £1 donation, 50p for children, under-threes free. If you are interested in coming along, please let Canine Partners know in advance by calling 01730 716013.