Over 400 people and 200 dogs took part in the Lewis-Manning Hospice Care’s second ‘Muddy Dog Dash’ which took place at Upton Country Park on Sunday 17th March and raised an incredible £15,000 which will support patients and families facing a life limiting illness across East Dorset and Purbeck.
Participants and their four legged friends took on the exceptionally muddy 2.5km or 5km obstacle course across fields and woodland, consisting of various exciting obstacles including ramps, tyre runs, wiggle poles, tunnels and much more!
Director of Fundraising Tom Goodinge said, “We couldn’t have wished for a better turn out, there was such a great atmosphere – It was fantastic to see so many runners, dogs and families supporting the sell out event. The weather also didn’t disappoint, the sun shone all day on a very muddy course.
“We were delighted the event was opened by Ted the celebrity pooch from BBC’s Mortimer & Whitehouse’s ‘Gone Fishing’ programme.
“We’ve got a brilliant gallery of photos for everyone to see. Take a visit at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16KVIqACkRk2BhkF9ktlUFS3zajAl54ow?usp=sharing “
“This event would not be possible without the incredible support from our volunteers, staff and sponsors – Barratt Homes, Care South, Capital Barriers, PHP Vets, South Coast Mini Marquee Ltd, Hot Radio, Nurturing By Nature, VetSmiths, Wessex Water and Marshalls. Without their help and support the event wouldn’t have been the huge success that it was.”
Megan Hamlyn, Marketing Manager at Barratt Homes concluded, “We are thrilled to have supported Lewis-Manning Hospice Care’s ‘Muddy Dog Dash’ for yet another year. They’ve created a wonderful community event and it’s a real pleasure to see the event grow so rapidly and be an even bigger success this year. Barratt Homes is committed to supporting organisations in the areas in which it is building and the vital work Lewis-Manning do to help patients and their loved ones across East Dorset and Purbeck is incredible.”
Head of Marketing & PR at Care South, Chris Golding said, “My family had such a wonderful day out, our Cockapoo called Bip Bop fully embraced the mud! It was a really great family experience, It’s certainly a totally unique event!
“At Care South we love to enrich the lives of the residents in our care by including them in lots of different activities. Our partnership with Lewis-Manning provides many opportunities for this throughout the year. The ‘Muddy Dog Dash’ was a real social occasion for over 20 of our residents who had a fantastic time geeing on the Care South teams, which included staff and their families. It was definitely a real Care South family affair!”
Tom concluded, “We would urge anyone interested in learning about next year’s event to register their interest and we look forward to keeping you informed. Don’t miss out, spaces are limited and fill very quickly.