Northamptonshire church fete invites animal lovers to support the Dogs of Ukraine Appeal

The Courteenhall Estate will play host to the village’s bi-annual church fete and collect donations to help Ukrainian dogs, who have lost their owners due to the ongoing war.

The Courteenhall Church Fete - taking place on Saturday, June 11 - will give visitors the opportunity to enjoy live music, food and drink from local producers, a dog show and more, whilst raising money for the Church of St Peter and St Paul at Courteenhall.

A collection of pet supplies will take place for the upcoming humanitarian mission to Ukraine, coordinated by the CEO of Brackmills BID, Sara Homer, in conjunction with Goodwill Solutions.

Ms Homer said: “After just having returned from delivering much needed medical and food supplies, clothes and shoes to the Ukraine, we are now involved with some ex-Military personnel who are in the process of setting up a quarantine/dog sanctuary for the many dogs that have either sadly lost their owners due to the war or have lost their owners due them having been moved out to different countries as a refugee.

“Their aim is to reunite them to their owners or, failing that, safely re-homing them with a new family. For this to happen, they will be working with military dog handlers and vets that are involved in dealing with traumatised animals usually relating to terrible events like war, hurricanes and other disasters.”

Donations required for the Dogs of Ukraine appeal include dry dog food; tinned dog food; leads and collars; towels; chew toys; blankets; dog bowls; dog coats; dog crates.

During the village fete, there will be an opportunity to explore the gardens at Courteenhall, enjoy live music from a brass band, browse stalls and pet owners can even enter their pooches into a dog show. There will also be a children’s area with a bouncy castle and an assortment of games.

With the church fete also coinciding with Open Farm weekend, visitors will be able to hitch a ride on a tractor and trailer around the estate to see the traditional Hereford cattle, environmental stewardship areas and crops with expert commentary on what is being achieved across the farm and parkland at Courteenhall.

Church fete committee chairwoman, Anna Wake, said: “Come along for an afternoon of fun for all the family. There will be many traditional stalls to visit including a tombola, raffle, plant stall, cakes and pre-loved items to buy, as well as the opportunity to explore the parkland and gardens.

“We aim to raise much needed funds for the parish church and support the Dogs for Ukraine appeal too - we hope you can join us.”

The Courteenhall church fete is set to take place on Saturday, June 11 from 1pm to 4pm. Well-behaved dogs are welcome on leads.

Donations can be brought along to the event or, alternatively, Sara Homer can be contacted via [email protected] or 07891016896.