A group of first-year students has organised what promises to be a day of “fun for all the family” on 6 May, the core of which will involve a mass sponsored dog-walking event around Williamson Park.
Hannah Allison, Jack Warner, Lara Ranger, Vicky Chan, Nikita Popov and Wu Qingqing Coco comprise the team behind organising the “family fun and dog day.” All proceeds from the day’s events will go towards supporting the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association (Guide Dogs).
The six students, each of whom study Project Management as a minor subject, have planned and promoted the Go Walkies event as part of their course, though they will be aided by many students not on the Project Management module. They are keen to raise money for their ‘client’ (as denoted under the terms of their course objectives) Guide Dogs because “the life-changing independence their work gives to thousands of blind and partially-sighted people is amazing.”
Go Walkies is a nationwide fundraising initiative devised by the Guide Dogs Association and implemented by individual groups of volunteers in areas across the country. Those taking part in the dog-walk are sponsored in order to promote the work of and raise money for the Guide Dogs charity. Lancaster’s student organisers will be putting project management skills studied in the lecture theatre into practice as they co-ordinate the day’s activities.
Dog-loving students and members of the public alike are encouraged to join together this May Day to celebrate all things canine whilst recognising the work undertaken by Guide Dogs to ensure that those with sight difficulties are helped to lead the life to which they are entitled. Events scheduled for the day begin at 10.30 am with a fifty-minute walk around the Park, which surrounds the Ashton Memorial and Butterfly House, and will also include a dog agility course, face-painting, dog performances, and – for those with a particularly talented pooch – a dog show offering the chance for prizes and prestige.
There will also be a ‘picnic party’, to which all are invited, and the reward of a free Eukanuba dog-food goody bag, a certificate, and a Go Walkies dog tag for all four-legged participants. As further incentive, there will also be the chance for one dog-walker to win a six-month supply of Eukanuba dog-food for their canine companion.
The organisers encourage everyone to participate – and it would seem that lacking a dog is no obstacle: “There are loads of ways people can get involved – sign up with your own dog, borrow a dog, share a dog or even dress up as a dog and maybe even get sponsored via the guide dog website!”
Those hoping to attend are advised to bear in mind the volatility of our wonderful British climate, and to bring with them appropriate clothing and footwear for outdoor pursuits.
Further information about the Guide Dogs charity may be found online at guidedogs.org.uk. For further details regarding the Go Walkies event, contact event organiser Hannah Allison at h.allison@lancaster.ac.uk or see the official event page on the Guide Dogs website.
