CALLING all Bromsgrove pooches – a sponsored dog walk is coming to Waseley Hills Country Park in Rubery this October to help raise vital funds for a local hospice.

‘Walkies and Wellies’ – organised by Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice – will see hundreds of caring canines and their generous owners take on a sponsored walk to help raise much-needed funds for the charity.

Taking place on Saturday, October 26 from 9am to 2pm, walkers will be able to choose from a one-mile or three-mile route.

The walk is open to dogs of all sizes and every compassionate pooch who crosses the finish line will be rewarded with a free doggy goody bag full of tasty treats, generously gifted by premium dog food manufacturer Fish4Dogs.

It costs £5 to register dogs for the walk – humans go free – and all sponsorship raised will go towards the Hospice, which helps people to live well when diagnosed with a life-limiting illness.

Laura Nash, events manager at Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice, said: “Walkies and Wellies is our first-ever sponsored dog walk and we can’t wait to see lots of wagging tails and smiling faces at the event.

“Not many people will know this but dogs can play their role in hospice care.

"We have a number of pet therapy dogs – such as Walter and Boris – who regularly visit the Hospice to provide affection and comfort to the people we care for.

"They can have a huge impact on a person’s wellbeing, helping to lift spirits and encourage communication.

“With our Walkies and Wellies event, we wanted to raise awareness of the emotional support our pet therapy dogs provide whilst also raising much-needs funds for this service and more.

"It will cost £9 million to run all of our hospice services this year, over 60 per cent of which must come from generous voluntary donations and sponsorship, so events like this really do help us to continue to care for people wherever and whenever they need it.”

To find out more about Walkies and Wellies, or to sign up your four-legged friend, visit www.birminghamhospice.org/uk/walkies

This year, Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice is celebrating 40 years of care across Birmingham and Sandwell. When the Hospice first opened in 1979, it could care for 25 people on any given day. Four decades later, the Hospice is supporting more than 400 people every day, providing care in people’s homes, in the community, at its Day Hospice facility and at the Hospice’s Inpatient Unit.