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Bumper Southwold Sausage Walk attracts 500 four-legged friends and raises £1,300 for dachshund charity
Dog lovers travelled from all over the country to take part in the walk. Picture: JESSIE BYFORD - Credit: Archant
It was wagging tails all round at the Southwold Sausage Walk on Easter Saturday when hundreds of dog lovers gathered for a celebration of their beloved dachshunds.
Scores of people accompanied by roughly 500 four-legged friends attended the event on Southwold beach on Saturday, March 31.
As well as serving as an opportunity for both dogs and owners to mingle. the walk raised a huge £1,300 for The Red Foundation – Emergency Dachshund Rescue UK.
Organisers Heidi Ginger and Laura Baggott said they were delighted with the result, and completely blown away by the event’s popularity.
Ms Ginger said: “We are absolutely thrilled at how our event went yesterday, so many people turned up with their sausage dogs, as well as siblings of other breeds. We gave up counting the dogs after 400, but we think all together we were looking more towards 500.
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“Laura Baggott and I are so grateful for the support that we received, we couldn’t have asked for a better day and we were so lucky with the weather. We saw lots of wagging tails and smiling faces, everyone was so happy.”
Organisers were even rewarded with a gold plaque commemorating the event, displayed pride of place next to the beach.
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The walk was initially put in jeapordy when Waveney District Council demanded a £300 deposit and £5million insurance cover prior to the event.
However when a saviour sponsor came to the rescue in the form of popular Southwold shop Adnams Sole Bay Brewery, the walk was back on track.
Organisers were also concerned that palm oil which has washed up on Suffolk’s beaches in recent weeks may prove a threat to inquisitive dogs.
Luckily, there were no problems on the day, and any anxieties were eased by organisers doing a trial walk prior to the big event.
The walk lasted roughly 45 minutes, and ran from the Harbour Quay East car park to the fifth wooden groyne past the Gunhill Beach Kiosk and back again.
As a precaution, walkers were accompanied by marshalls and first aiders to keep the dogs safe.
It’s likely Southwold hasn’t seen the last of the sausages, as Ms Ginger added: “There is great demand for us to do another one later in the year, so watch this space.”