Tails wag in the capital for a Grand Day Out with Wallace and Gromit (From Wandsworth Guardian)

Tails wag in the capital for a Grand Day Out with Wallace and Gromit in Battersea Park

5:32pm Wednesday 6th April 2011 in Your Say

London’s dogs’ tails will be wagging this week as they are invited to join one of the world’s most famous dogs on Sunday for ‘A Grand Day Out’ in Battersea Park.

Wallace and Gromit will be at Battersea Park on Sunday April 10th from 11am to take part in A Grand Day Out and raise money for the Kennel Club Charitable Trust and Wallace & Gromit’s Children’s Foundation.

The family and dog friendly day out is inviting people from across the capital to come along and take part in a walk to raise money for the two charities.

There will be tea and cake from Yorkshire tea available for everyone who participates, as well as numerous activities including face painting, a bouncy castle, an inflatable assault course and ‘have a go’ dog agility, and a cracking Wallace & Gromit award will be given to every dog taking part.

Both charities support good causes in and around the capital. Wallace & Gromit’s Children’s Foundation supports Richard House Children’s Hospice, Kings College Hospital and the Whittington Hospital’s special care baby unit in London.

The Kennel Club Charitable Trust supports local and national charities that help to make a difference to dogs’ lives, such as Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.

At the end of last year, the Kennel Club Charitable Trust awarded Battersea Dogs and Cats Home £13,450 for an x-ray unit.

The unit allows the charity to identify pre-existing medical conditions in stray animals quickly and effectively, without pain or causing stress, helping to speed up both their care and their ability to be re-homed.

Shaun Opperman, Head Veterinary Surgeon at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home said: “Often we have very little or no information on the animals coming into the Home, so X-ray equipment is incredibly valuable in helping us care for and re-home the thousands of dogs and cats we look after for every year.

At Battersea we rely entirely on donations to fund our work, so we are very grateful for the support provided by the Kennel Club Charitable Trust.”

To join Wallace & Gromit in Battersea Park on April 10th from 11am, visit www.agranddayout.org.uk, fill in the registration form and get raising money for Wallace & Gromit's Children's Foundation and the Kennel Club Charitable Trust.

Every penny you raise will be used to help sick children in hospitals and hospices across the UK and make a difference for dogs.

For a further donation of just £1, Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme Bronze Award testing sessions will be available for anyone who would like to take part and assess their dog’s domestic obedience skills.

The Bronze Award features 10 exercises including such things as a dog’s ability to walk on a lead with distractions, stay on the spot while the handler moves away and for the dog to allow inspection by its handler.

Each participant will need to bring with them a poop scoop bag, grooming implement and each dog will need to wear a suitable collar and lead with a legally compliant ID tag.

The walks are only made possible by the sponsorship of the international financial services organisation Foresters, and Purina PRO PLAN.

Looking forward to the walk, Elizabeth Carrington-Porter, Regional Membership Manager at Foresters said: “Foresters champions the well-being of families through quality life insurance, unique member benefits and inspiring community activities.

In supporting A Grand Day Out our hope is to encourage lots of families to have fun together, sharing healthy family time with their four-legged friends to raise much-needed funds for Wallace & Gromit’s Children’s Foundation and the Kennel Club Charitable Trust.”