IT'S never a good thing to be in the doghouse, but two Offenham women can't wait to get in there, all in the name of fundraising.

Business partners Mary Jones and Julie Young have challenged themselves to spend a whole weekend in a dog kennel at the Dogs Trust, in Evesham.

Having been dog foster carers and volunteers for Dogs Trust for the last three years, they have seen first hand the work the charity does and decided to raise money that will help buy items for environmental enrichment.

The two women set themselves the challenge of raising £10,000 for the trust and have been working on plans to do something unusual.

Mrs Jones' husband, Colin, had jokingly taken a photograph of her inside a kennel at Christmas and it gave her and her friend a fundraising idea.

On May 28 and 29, the pair will be eating, sleeping and keeping themselves entertained in a kennel at the centre. They will be inviting friends, family and supporters to come and visit them, and to see first hand the work that the charity does.

Mrs Young added: “We love helping out Dogs Trust and have really enjoyed all the dogs that we have fostered over the years. However we felt that it was time to really help them with a challenge, which will help buy much needed training equipment for general and obedience training and that builds confidence in the dogs whilst they await loving new homes.”

The Rehoming Centre is currently under going expansion and will soon be able to take in more dogs than ever.

Dogs Trust assistant manager Emma Bragginton added: “We are so grateful to Mary and Julie for setting themselves this incredible challenge to help our dogs. We hope they both find kennel life comfortable as they raise money to ensure the centre's dogs are kept as happy as possible during their time with us.”

Anyone visiting can help out by taking along any spare old blankets, towels or toys to help toward the daily welfare of the dogs.

For further information on the doghouse challenge and how to donate go to: https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/mandjcharitychallenge You can also follow them on Facebook.