A leading dog-friendly hotel group based in the northern Lake District have raised over £100 for Jigsaw, Cumbria’s Children’s Hospice at their 3^rd annual free Christmas Dog Walk.

The festive dog walk, which took place on Friday 16^th December, was hosted by Lake District Hotels and attracted an impressive number of both humans and canines. The free community event first began back in 2019 and was designed to spread festive cheer to both their two- and four-legged clientele. Since its debut, the walk has become more popular every year.

On the picture-pawfect afternoon, a whopping 42 adults & 27 dogs all pawed off from Keswick’s Market Square where they made their way to Crow Park via Isthmus, then on to Friar’s Crag where walkers were able to enjoy magnificent views across a partially frozen Derwentwater and snow-dusted fells.

Afterwards, in true festive fashion, all two-legged guests were rewarded with a steaming glass of mulled wine or hot chocolate & mince pies outside the Kings Arms Hotel in the centre of Keswick. Naturally, there were complimentary dog treats for four-legged friends also!

A large selection of dogs dressed for the occasion sporting their finest festive attire, but only one lucky attendee could be crowned top dog. Murphy, a cocker spaniel from Workington who attends the walk each year, won best dressed festive pup wearing a full reindeer outfit with antlers. The lucky pup was rewarded with a wonderful goodies hamper donated by Keswick-based pet store, Podgy Paws; a pet care set from local manufacturers, Bugalugs AND an incredible pet photography experience which was kindly contributed by Olive Paw Photography who attended the walk to snap some photos.

Dani Hope, Director of Lake District Hotels commented, “We always look forward to this free community event every year and we are overwhelmed by how popular the Christmas dog walk has become! The fact that so many people return every year to attend the walk means so much to us - it’s a great opportunity to meet people from the local area who share a love of dogs.”

Martha Pardoe, a senior fundraiser from Cumbria’s only children’s hospice – Jigsaw – also attended the walk and gave a brief talk about the essential care the hospice provides to children with life-limiting illnesses and their families in the local area. Collection buckets were made available to gather donations after the walk and through the generosity of everyone who attended, the complimentary event raised a total of £111.18 for the charity.

Jigsaw, Cumbria’s Children’s Hospice has been Lake District Hotels charity of the year since October 2022 and the hotel group has already raised over £4.5k for the important cause. If you would like to donate to this amazing charity, you can do so online via JustGiving https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lake-district-hotels-jigsaw