THE sun shone, despite poor weather in the run-up, for a very doggy event last month to raise funds for a marathon attempt this Sunday (April 22).

Bark for Life at Speech House was organised by Lynne Eagles from Lydney as part of her fundraising campaign for the London Marathon this weekend.

This is Lynn’s sixth consecutive marathon and she’s running it with Paul Baylis, who is taking part in the event for the third time.

A 5K walk around Speech House Arboretum and up towards Mallards Pike was followed by a mini-dog show, hot soup and home-made cakes and a raffle.

Lynn, who organised the event, told the Review: “The snow was so bad in the week leading up to the event and it was so cold that we didn’t know whether we should cancel it or not. In the event the sun shone and it was a beautiful day.

“On the day we had 65 people and around 35 to 40 dogs, representing all sorts of breeds from dachshunds and Labradors to greyhounds and West Highland terriers. The turnout was lower than we’d hoped, partly because of the weather and partly because of the fear of dog disease Alabama rot, but we raised £1,167 for Cancer Research UK, which brings our total for the marathon to nearly £4,000 between us so far.

“I had a lot of help with organising everything from my friends. I’d really like to thank Sarah Ryland, Julie Markey, Julie Farr, Tess Tremlett, Paul Baylis, Lauren Barnard, Gaynor Driver and Tara Knight. I call them the Kennel Club and they all helped with the preparations or with running things on the day.

“We also had lots of guest judges for the dog show where categories included the best six legs, prettiest bitch, most handsome dog, naughtiest dog and dog most like its owner.

“It was a wonderful atmosphere and it’s all for a fantastic cause. The day was an enormous success,” added Lynne.

To donate, visit www.virginmoneygiving.com and search for Paul Baylis. Lynne and Paul’s team name is Beagles.