LUDLOW will be going to the dogs again in July.

Following on from its second successful Dog Day event last July which raised nearly £20,000 for a number of local and chosen Rotary charities, Ludlow Rotary Club is planning another Dog Day this year.

Popular BBC TV Personality Jules Hudson of Escape to the Country and Countryfile has committed himself for a third year to supporting the Rotary Club’s main fundraising event which once again will be held at Stokesay Court, a few miles north of Ludlow and just off the A49 , on Sunday July 24 2016.

However this year he will be joined by popular BBC TV antique expert Kate Bliss, a regular on Bargain Hunt, Flog It! and Secret Dealers Both have pledged themselves to helping Ludlow Rotary Club in its effort to better last year’s result, when more than 3,000 people many with their canine partners turned up to the event which was a huge success and a wonderful family day out.

The main beneficiaries of this year’s fund raising event are Canine Partners, Severn Hospice of Shrewsbury, Megan Baker House Conductive Education Centre and PDSA.

It has been suggested last year that this time some money should go to an animal charity.

“Once again we must thank our generous host Caroline Magnus for allowing us to use the beautiful grounds of Stokesay Court as the venue for the event,” said Angus Kerr, this year’s event organiser.

“For any event of this size we are heavily reliant on our sponsors, Teme Vets, Hobsons Brewery, Hatfields Jaguar Shrewsbury and Tuffins. We would also like to hear from anybody who feels that they could offer to help us on the day as organising this major event requires a lot of people.’’

Gates will open at 10am with competitions for all types of dog ranging from the best rescue dog to the scruffiest mutt with much in between.

In addition there will be a full programme of special events with dog display teams and demonstrations including fly ball, dog agility and dog obedience.

For human consumption during the day there will be tasty fare, tea and beer. There will also be stalls offering a wide variety of countryside fare and doggy accessories, and a children’s activity area.

The ‘Dog Day’ was launched in 2014 as a family event. This followed a ‘sleep over’ in the grounds of Ludlow College the previous year to raise awareness of young the problems faced by homeless young people and also money for some of the charities that help them.

Although highly successful it was decided that it would be appropriate to have a more family orientated event.

For more information visit ludlowdogday.co.uk