PRESIDENT'S BBQ - SUNDAY 25TH JULY The annual Presidents BBQ was another unqualified success with a great number of members and their Greyhounds - 79 was the final count - enjoying the entertainment, a chat, some food, display and sale of greyhound related goods and the opportunity to see 79 greyhounds running free in Arthur's garden. Courtesy of Terry, burgers and sausage were the staple BBQ food and Agnes supplied the salad accompaniment. Dick was in charge of entertainment, Liam organised and manned a fundraising game, Margaret and Judy were in charge of sales and Graham and Robert cooked and served the burgers.  Claire and Loraine kept everyone supplied with tea and coffee and Carol and Leslie were avqailable for photographs, so it really was a team effort. Although not meant to be a fundraiser as such, it is one of the few times that we have so many greyhound people in the one place at the one time so Graham, not to miss a fundraising trick, took all the stock the charity has to the event including some new items recently imported from America. Nearly £700 was raised on the day and our thanks to Arthur for hosting the event. The main vote of thanks however have to be for the dogs - they were excellent, well behaved and a credit to the breed. The pictures show various scenes from the BBQ. To see a short film of the BBQ on YouTube click here

MEET A GREYHOUND DAY – KIRKCUDBRIGHT 24TH JULYNot too bad weather ensured we had 7 dogs together with owners and they attracted quite a few people to the stall. We arrived at 9.45am and we closed down (as it started to rain) at 2.10pm.  Also in attendance was a couple with 3 greyhounds who were on holiday in the area and stayed to help even although one of the greyhounds was injured following a recent attack by another dog. Altogether, over £54 was raised on the day but more importantly, a couple of really interested potential adopters.  Picture shows general view of the stall.

A FIRST FOR DCGR Following the closure of a lingerie shop in our area, DCGR have been donated approx 2000 (yes two thousand) pieces of lingerie to sell to raise funds for the charity. The items range from bras' - all sizes, colours and designs to knickers - all sizes colours and designs - ALL NEW - and both "trendy" and traditional, with label prices ranging from £3.99 to £12.99. DCGR will be taking samples to most of the events we attend. If you are looking for a gift for yourself or friend or relation, give Margaret a ring on 01387 760577. Prices will NOT be that on the label. The pictures show Margaret and Daughter-in-Law Carol-Anne, sorting out the donation. MEMBERS please note that lingerie parties are being planned for both Loch Maben and Carlisle, in the near future, watch out for more details on the website.

CUMBERLAND SHOW - SATURDAY 18TH JULY Even although the Cumberland Show changed venues, the weather certainly didn't - it was a wash-out!! Graham towed the DCGR caravan onto the site the night before and was very impressed with the ground conditions even although it was difficult finding the pitch. Alan and Bev along with Al came along later and by 7pm the gazebo's were up and the caravan awning as well. It was decided this year to book a bigger space so we could get 2 gazebos' side by side and weren’t we glad we did. The Saturday morning weather was atrocious and by 11am, the pedestrian areas were almost ankle deep in mud and the area's where the lorries and cars were using was unbelievably bad. Nevertheless, our hardy bunch of volunteers and their greyhounds braved the rain and enhanced the cause of greyhound rescue. One excellent piece of news from the morning was that Graham was interviewed live on BBC Radio Cumbria. The afternoon wasn't much better although when the sun came out, you could ensure that 5 mins later it rained again! By this time, the pathways were like treacle. Taking the opportunity of a dry spell, we packed up just before 4pm and got out (relatively easily) before the rush started.  DCGR would like to thank again our regular members and their greyhounds for turning up in such bad weather and a special thanks to Audrey and Wendy who looked after the stall after taking over an hour to find us and walking all that time in the torrential rain.  Thanks ladies. Over £150 was raised during the day and the pictures show the Gazebo's prior to the event opening (they provided excellent cover) and a couple of shots of the event itself.

ELVIS AND PRISCILLA PRESLEY VISIT DUMFRIES What a coup for DCGR.  During the Big Parade in Dumfries last month, this covert photograph was taken by the paparazzie and has only come to light. It was obtained by DCGR for a small fee (5p). It shows Elvis and Priscilla quietly and unobtrusively with some of our members greyhounds, trying not to be noticed and attempting to blend in with the surroundings. Some may have thought that Elvis "died" some years ago but his many fans have been proved right and that he is still very much alive and walks unnoticed amongst us even to this day. Graham has managed, after prolonged negotiations, to arrange for a re-appearance of Elvis and his good lady at future fundraising events (huh huh huh).

Saturday afternoon Saturday afternoon Sunday morning Sunday morning KIRKCUDBRIGHT GARDEN AND PLANT FAIR – SAT/SUN 10TH / 11TH JULY Summer is here once again!  Graham and Margaret set up the stall for the weekend’s activities on the Friday night and they were glad they did. Saturday was dry until our parade at 1pm and the heavens opened.  Needless to say, no-one was watching - everyone was under cover in the trade tents, but nevertheless, our members and their greyhounds did us proud in the torrential rain. The event itself was relatively quiet probably due to the weather and probably due to the fact that people had maybe planned to come on the Sunday. Yes – there was always tomorrow!!  Graham stayed overnight in the caravan with Magic while Margaret returned home to Kirkgunzeon with Star and Poppy (Star not too well just now). Well the wind and the rain came about 3am and when Graham looked out of the caravan window about 5am, 4 or 5 gazebo’s had been blown down and one of the main craft tents was a bit on the wobbly side.  At 6am, the organisers came round and due to the present weather and the forecasted weather, it was decided to cancel the Sunday.  For a couple of hours, Graham and Margaret struggled to get the DCGR gazebo down in the high wind (gazebo was rock solid during the wind and rain) as well as the awning which again was a struggle.  The pictures illustrate the weather perfectly.  Our takings for the event were obviously well down on last year and amounted to just under £140

Dumfries Meet a Greyhound Day - Saturday 3rd July The rain held off, though it was a very blustery day, with a number the charity cans being blown off the table at the beginning of the day, thankfully they were too heavy by the end of the day! A number of our members turned up over the course of the day to support DCGR and their presence with their dogs as usual made all the difference, as members of the public came over to stroke the dogs and put some money in the tins. Although Dumfries was very quiet for a Saturday we still raised a fantastic £320 in the collection tins, so a big thank you to everyone for their support.

Moffat Meet a Greyhound Day - Saturday 26th June The Meet a Greyhound day in Moffat was attended by a number of members from the local area, unfortunately for us Moffat was the quietest we have ever seen it, especially for a Saturday! And as the weather was so hot and there was no shade for the dogs, Arthur decided to call it a day at 2.00pm, with the grand total of £49.02 in the charity tins. The picture shows, Phil, Yvonne, Maggie, Viv and Jamie-Lee making the most of the sun.

GUID NYCHBURRIS DAY PARADE - SATURDAY 19TH JUNE Well DCGR has done it again!! For the third year in a row, we have won the Geordie Dyer Trophy for the best Walking Entry at the Guid Nychburris (Good Neighbours) Big Parade in Dumfries. This year the theme was "You're Nothing but a Hound Dog" and you've guessed - we were all dressed Elvis Presley or as young girls from the 1950's and the dogs wore bibs bearing the legend "I'm a "Grey" Hound Dog". The trailer was fitted with a high-fi blasting out Elvis singing "You're Nothing But a Hound Dog" and over 20 members and 20 greyhounds were on display in absolutely gorgeous weather and the public of Dumfries were out in their thousands. If DCGR had a £1 for every photograph taken or for every ooh and aah, we wouldn't need to fundraise for years.  A big thanks from Graham to all the members who got into the spirit of the occasion and dressed to thrill, especially Al who was actually mistaken for the real Elvis!! The photographs without captions, were taken during the run up to the parade - see if you can guess who is who?

1st Brownie Badge for DCGR! Brownie Alex Carruthers wanted to earn her Animal Care badge, so she offered to help DCGR with the greyhounds. Alex worked hard, grooming and walking the dogs in our DCGR kennels at Wetheral and even turned up at a Meet a Greyhound Day in Penrith to help fundraise for us. So well done to Alex for getting her hard earned badge!

MEET A GREYHOUND DAY - WILKINSON'S, CASTLE DOUGLAS - SATURDAY 12 JUNE This new event for DCGR went extremely well and the staff were exceptionally friendly, when we held a Meet a Greyhound Day at Wilkinson's at Castle Douglas. We were positioned just inside the foyer and "captain" for the day - Chris Newman organised his troops well. The Greys on display were Cassie, Nina, Minnie, Boots, Mel and Misty and once Graham and Margaret were finished at the Kirkcudbright Jazz Festival (see separate entry), they stopped by with Magic, Star, Poppy and Teal. The day went without a hitch and when the cash was counted, nearly £200 was raised for DCGR funds. The greys were so well behaved that we have been invited back to do a similar event next year.  A big thanks to Bev at Wilkinson's for organising it for us and the staff for being so helpful.  The pictures show some of our hardy volunteers with members of staff and a general picture of the stall.

KIRKCUDBRIGHT JAZZ FESTIVAL - SATURDAY 12 JUNE Glorious weather, magnificent scenery, foot tapping music and friendly and generous people was the verdict after our annual visit to Kirkcudbright for the Jazz Festival. The event attracts jazz fans from all over the UK and we think the majority of them stopped at our stall to say hello. As usual, this is a place to sell our quality bric a brac and we weren't disappointed with just under £170 raised in sales and in our charity tins. Once more, there were plenty of greyhounds to see with Magic, Star, Poppy, Teal, Shadow, Duke, Rocky and Jeff all attracting people to our stall and "encouraging" them to throw some coins in the charity tins. If any of our members haven't been to this one before, they are missing a very good event and should watch the website for next year's date.

GUID NYCHBURRIS WINDOW DRESSING COMPETITION For the second year in a row, DCGR have been given permission by Peter and Jackie Bacci of the newsagents in the Whitesands, Dumfries to dress their window for the Guid Nychburris Window Dressing Competition. We are hoping to emulate our success in winning first prize in the Retail Section in 2009 and this year, the theme is “ Dumfries – Queen of the South”.  Our entry is using the connection between Elvis Presley who was THE KING of Rock and Roll and Dumfries , which is THE QUEEN of the South and also the birthplace of Greyhound Rescue.  A bit of a tenuous connection we know but hey ho – it’s a bit of fun and you never know how the judges will view it.  If any of our Dumfries members are in the town, pop in to the shop and have a laugh (or a groan) at our entry.  Pictures will follow if we get a placing.

MEET A GREYHOUND DAY - TESCO ANNAN - SUNDAY 6TH JUNE We received a very warm welcome from Lisa (the Community Champion)at Tesco in Annan on Sunday 6th June and were given a prime spot just inside the foyer (really glad as it started to rain later on). After a slow start, it fair picked up and we eventualy had queues waiting to say hello to the greyhounds. At this event, we had Tiffy, Teal, Ben, Struan, Ollie, Frankie and Vharie on display and raised a magnificent £193.  A big thanks to Tesco for allowing us to show off the dogs and raising so much money. The pictures show Lisa with Teal and Ann with Tiffy "manning" the stall and an unusual picure of Ben who was determined to blend into the background!!

MEET A GREYHOUND DAY - CASTLE DOUGLAS - SATURDAY 5TH JUNE Glorious weather met us at Castle Douglas for our annual Meet a Greyhound Day at Market Car Park on Saturday 5th June and loads of locals and tourists stopped to say hello to our members and to admire the greyhounds. As usual, the greyhounds were absolutely marvellous with the hordes of youngsters that wanted to "hug" a greyhound and even take some home!! With the weather getting warmer, our members moved over towards the shade of the trees but that didn't stop people taking that extra step to come over and say hello. With apologies to anyone missed, the greyhounds on display were Teal, Cassie, Nina, Sam, Honey, Shiloh, Nellie, Tizzie, Belle, Minnie, Frisbee and Jasper. The day raised over £123 for which DCGR is extremely grateful.

AGM - FRIDAY 4TH JUNE - ROCKCLIFFE A healthy turn out of members for our Annual General Meeting shows the enthusiasm for the charity and a keen interest in the work we do. The only change to last year's committee was Ann Thomson from Aspatria who replaced Loraine Nicol from Lochmaben as Vice Chair. The business part of the meeting took it's course with each of the committee members giving a brief report on the past year's work which, by all forms of measurement, was extremely good. Our Chair, Judy Todd in her report, informed members of our long term plans for the future and the feasibility document produced by Carol Kershaw into having a dedicated rescue centre although she reminded everyone that we will not put our existing strong position in jeopardy by taking a leap too far. Another important issue she mention was the committee itself and how new blood is needed in the future to bring fresh ideas to the fore.  After the business part of the meeting was concluded, the meeting adjourned to the cafeteria for a most excellent coffee break with home baking and then returned to hear our guest speaker Hazel Halliday a partner in Millers Veterninary Practice from Lockerbie who gave a most interesting and graphic account of all things relevent to greyhounds. The pictures show various scenes from the AGM.

UPPERBY GALA - MONDAY 31ST MAY The last fund-raising day of an exhausting Bank Holiday Weekend for Graham and Margaret as they attended the Upperby Gala in Carlisle with Magic, Star, Poppy and foster dog, Teal.  They were ably assisted by Alan and Bev, Jenny, Trisha and Pauline with their dogs while Audrey and Wendy "manned" the stall. The Gala was exceptionally busy and the weather was wonderful but we wonder if it's a sign of the times as our income from the day was well down on last year. No complaints however as "every penny counts" for DCGR and we are extremely grateful for the £135 raised on the day. Although arguably a little too warm for the dogs, there was plenty of shade and when Trish and Pauline with Mollie and Lady came back with rosettes from the RSPCA Fun Dog Show, it generated a lot of smiles from everyone. The picture shows Alan collecting with the charity tin and our greyhounds being shown off to members of the public under the shade of a nearby tree.

BARONY COLLEGE OPEN DAY – SUNDAY 30TH MAY The weather was dry for the most time although there was a cool wind, but nonetheless, Graham and Margaret, ably assisted by Maggie and Brian Horan along with Magic, Star, Poppy, Shiloh and Honey thrilled the crowds (and there was many – estimated to be 3,000) with the display of totally laid back greyhounds.  With the many books that have been donated to DCGR over the past few months, Graham and Margaret only took books to sell and were amazed at the end of the day when over £160 was raised for our funds. Very many people stopped to say hello to the dogs and Brian was complaining about the weight of the charity tin string cutting into his hands!! Unfortunately Graham forgot to take his camera so no pictures.  Once again, the dogs were marvellous and coped extremely well with all the attention, barking small dogs and even ferrets!!

MEET A GREYHOUND DAY - NEWTON STEWART - SATURDAY 29TH MAY The bad weather forecast for the region was actually correct for the annual Meet a Greyhound Day at Riverside Car Park, Newton Stewart. Although we had 14 greyhounds on display, there weren't many people around so the donations of over £45 refelected the dismal weather.  Nonetheless, it just goes to show how keen and enthusiastic our membership is, some travelling from Stranraer to attend. It may be that next year, Graham (if elected at the AGM), will apply for a permit to do a can shake in the town centre rather than placing ourselves in the public car park. DCGR would like to thank all our members for their attendance and to Tracy for "controlling" the event while Graham was in Kendal at the first MAG Day there. The photographs show a couple of the scenes at the venue.

MEET A GREYHOUND DAY – TESCO. LOCKERBIE ROAD , DUMFRIES – SATURDAY 29TH MAY By all accounts, a very successful day at Tesco in terms of cash raised – over £180 – and in terms of potential homes with 3 people asking for a follow up visit. This event was one of 3 scheduled for the same day but even although all these events were on, there will still plenty of greyhounds to see at each event.  Arthur controlled this event and as usual, the public just adore stopping to say hello to the dogs and their owners. Attending at this event were Phil Davies and his pack, Mandy and Margaret Bleasdale and their pack, Maggie and Brian Horan and their pack, Arthur and his pack and Dick and Sandie with Queenie.  A big thanks from DCGR to Tesco for allowing us to hold this event and to their customers who were as generous as ever. The pictures show Shadow enjoying the rest and a pack of hounds very interested in Dick – does he have any treats I wonder?

Picture taken by a new 'fan' of greyhounds who came to see us at Kendal Picture of Magic taken by a well wisher who visited the Meet a Greyhound Day MEET A GREYHOUND DAY - KENDAL - SATURDAY 29TH MAY Once again the weather forecast was atrocious but when Graham and Margaret eventually arrived in Kendal after a 2 hour drive, they found the town nearly dry (a few light showers) and the town packed with shoppers. After setting up in Market Place, the public were visitng the stall continuously and what interest there was! Graham has been to almost all the MAG Days since the charity started 8 years ago, but found this particular one unusual in that so many people had never seen a racing greyhound before and were EXTREMELY interested in the work we do. Because it was so showery, Graham had the leaflets under cover so it is a measure of the interest generated by our attendance that so many people asked for contact information prior to leaving the stand. Graham had asked the local paper to do a "piece" on DCGR prior to our attendance and we would like to thank them for doing just that as many people came into town specifically to see the greyhounds. In all we had 7 greyhounds on display - Magic, Star, Poppy, Deakon, Blue, Rosie and Pearl and the pictures show 2 views of the event. DCGR raised an amazing £301.90 in the 4 hours we were there and we are thankful to the generosity of the people of Kendal.

MEET A GREYHOUND WEEKEND - CREAM O GALLOWAY ICE CREAM FACTORY -  22/23 MAY We had marvellous weather for the 2 days of this event - maybe too good, for although we had plenty of greyhounds on display, we think the public were relaxing on the beach rather than doing some exercise at the Cream o Galloway Ice Cram Factory's extensive and energy sapping play area.  Having said that, many visitors stopped to say hello from varying parts of the globe, including Germany.  Graham decided that we would have a book stall at this event as so many books have been donated and it seemed to go very well. One man in his late 30's found a book in the children's section which was the first book he had ever read at primary school and he bought it to remind himself of the good times at school!!!! Nearly £140 was raised over the 2 days and many people left with a new understanding of how lazy these animals actually are. Luckily, the Ice Cream Factory had built an enlosed area in their courtyard which provided excellent cover from the sun which really was quite hot at times.  The pictures show various view of the stall and of some of the greyhounds that attended over the 2 days.

Chance's Park, Morton, Carlisle, Saturday 22nd May The fete to celebrate the opening of the re-vamped Chance's Park was not as busy as expected, especially given the fact that the weather was glorious, however our members and their dogs were there to help support us and thanks to them we raised a fantastic £108 for an afternoon's work. Thanks to our new gazebo there was plenty of shade for the dogs and their owners, Audrey was particularly happy that Al had his shorts on and Judy wasn't there! Pictures show various scenes of the stall and helpers.

MEET A GREYHOUND WEEKEND - GRETNA GATEWAY VILLAGE - SAT/SUN 15TH/16TH MAY For the first time we have attended at Gretna Gateway Village, it was dry for the full 2 days and we were even without jackets on the Sunday as it was moderately warm. Over the 2 days, we must have had about 35 greyhounds on display and many many people stopped to say hello and to contribute to funds. We also handed out a good dozen information leaflets to interested members of the public and hopefully we will get a few follow up phone calls as well. The greyhounds were - just greyhounds, absolutely magnificent, coping with young children and barking small dogs alike. We have said it before and we will say it again, they are DEFINITELY a breed apart, as they are marvellous in situations like this. It was particularly nice to see Rosemary and John from Dumfries come along to help despite losing their beloved Boris only a few weeks ago.Over the 2 days. We raised over £570 which was nearly £100 up on last year and we are very grateful for the generosity of visitors to Gretna.  The photographs show various scenes from the 2 days. On top of all this, Clinton Cards from the outlet village donated £79 and we received over £11 in a charity tin from Christies.

Meet a Greyhound Day, Cumbria Bridleways Society “Packs and Tracks 2010” The weather stayed dry, though for the most part very cold, for our first visit to the Cumbria Bridleways Society "Packs and Tracks" event. Although the event was not as busy as we could have hoped for, the people who were there showed quite a bit of interest in the greyhounds and the members who were there were able to enjoy a chat with each other, which is something that we don't often get the chance to do at these events! Just over £70 was made on the day, mainly in sales but with a bit in the charity tins. The best news is that we have one definite home check and at least one other possible one. The picture shows the early bird members who arrived at the very start of the day.

ELVIS IS IN THE HOUSE!!! Graham is getting things ready for the Guid Nychburris Day Parade in Dumfries on Saturday 19th June and here is a clue regarding our entry when Margaret and Magic welcome Elvis Presley to Kirkgunzeon. At present, the volunteers are Graham and Margaret themselves, Al and Judy (wait to you see Al's costume) Scilla Denis, Colin and Suzie Donaldson (and family), Inga and Bev, Ann Thomson, Tricia Fontana, Jenny Bragg, Dhariat Gibson and friend Kirsten and Maggie Horan and son Calum - all with greyhounds. There is still plenty of room for more volunteers.  If you are game for a laugh and want to help DCGR promote greyhounds as family pets, give Graham a phone at 01387 760577. You don't need to be a member or even have a greyhound - you are more than welcome to come along and join the parade. The more the merrier.

MEET A GREYHOUND DAY - PETS AT HOME,CARLISLE - 9TH MAY Although it was forecast showers, it stayed dry for our annual Meet a Greyhound Day at Pets at Home on Sunday 9th May. Readers of our site will know that we were meant to be at Pets at Home in Dumfries on the same day, but due to a fire in the retail park, it had to be cancelled. As it was relatively nice, lot's of people stopped to say hello and to pop a few coins in the charity tin and to talk to the greyhounds.  We had so many greyhounds there that Graham's memory cannot remember them all but suffice to say that over the 3 hours, we had around 20 greyhhounds on display.  Sue Hood, the manager of the store and who has one of our greyhounds herself, gave permission for us to set up a sales table inside the store, selling goods that were specific to DCGR and not in conflict with Pets at Home. As a result of our sales and charity tins, DCGR raised a magnificent £225 for which we are extremely grateful.  A big thanks to our members for the turnout and to Pets at Home for their support.  The pictures show Margaret and Judy at the Sales Table, a view of the front of the store when we had just set up and another view when most of the greyhounds were about.

Margaret with Star, Poppy & Magic talking to Lucy Hadley from the Forestry Commission A 'team' photograph on the Saturday when it started to rain A 'team' photograph on the Sunday when the weather wasn't too bad One of our members who doesn't like having her photograph taken, trying to make a getaway! MEET A GREYHOUND WEEKEND – KIRROUGHTREE FOREST PARK – 1/2/3 MAY Well we had everything, thunder, lightening, torrential rain, hailstones, strong sun and overnight temperatures of -1. So cold in fact that the gas bottle in the DCGR caravan didn’t produce gas until about 9.30 in the morning!!  Nevertheless, plenty of greyhounds over the 3 days for the public to see and we were pleased that a number of local adopters, who hadn’t been to an event before, brought their greys along.  Apart from an excellent income of over £400 a home was found for one of our homeless greyhounds so all in all a successful weekend.  It was particularly pleasing to see Emma and Russell come along for an hour with Nellie as Emma is soon due to give birth to twins. As an aside and, following the horrendous weather we had last year, the awning for the DCGR caravan (which we got second hand as a donation) is showing severe signs of wear, is leaking in places and has lot’s of ingrained mud which doesn’t look very nice, particularly when compared with our new spic and span gazebo’s.  If anyone out there has an awning suitable for a 14 foot caravan, please contact either Al on 01228 674127 or Graham at 01387 760577. The pictures show various scenes at the weekend

1st May - Meet A Greyhound Day Penrith Judy and Al arrived early (09.20am) at Penrith, only to find the space by the bandstand already taken by a political party anxious to get support for next weeks election! So a plot around the corner next to a baked potato salesman was the best they could do - and it turned out to be pretty good as just over £300 was raised on the day and everyone who came to support DCGR or see the dogs, did eventually find us! The weather was interesting, alternating between being very hot to bitterly cold in a matter of minutes, several times throughout the day, with the odd little spot of rain which didn't come to anything, though we believe the heavier rain started just after we left! Our thanks go to all our members and their dogs who came to support us throughout the day, as we always say, the dogs sell themselves and without members and their dogs turning up at these events we certainly would not do so well. Also our thanks go to the generous people of Penrith who took the time to drop some money into our charity boxes and stop and have a chat with us, hopefully one or two home checks will follow soon. Unfortunately both Judy and Al forgot to take their camera, so there is no photo to go with this story.

GREAT BRITISH GREYHOUND WALK Sunday 20th June is the appointed day for the “Great British Greyhound Walk” where greyhound owners throughout the country take their pet greyhounds for a public walk and Maggie Horan, a member from Dumfries, has suggested that DCGR marks the occasion by holding an “informal” walk at Mabie Forest nr Dumfries at 11am that day.  There is no sponsorship required and nothing planned – just turn up with your greyhound, report to Maggie (who will take some pics for the website) and go for a walk, maybe speaking to other walkers in the Forest and promoting greyhounds as family pets.  If the event is successful, we may plan it next year to include a picnic to make the day more enjoyable.  More information can be obtained from Graham (who will unfortunately be on holiday) but he will pass details onto Maggie.

COFFEE MORNING – ANNAN – SATURDAY 10TH APRIL The weather was really kind this year for what is fast becoming our annual fundraising coffee morning organised by member Isabelle McManaman and her team of supporters.  The Coffee Morning was held at the Bruce Restaurant in Annan which is situated beside a car park which holds a small market at the weekend. The good weather certainly got the people out of doors and many of them came into the function room to have tea or coffee and a chat or to pick up a bargain at the stalls we had inside. DCGR would also like to thank our “doorlady” on the day and Treasurer, Margaret Hill for enforcing the £1 entrance fee despite coming under some pressure from a couple of people who decided they should be able to walk in free!!  The event raised the magnificent sum of £776 which for a 2 hour coffee morning, is remarkable.  Unfortunately Graham forgot the camera so no pictures were taken.  A big, big thanks to Isabelle for coming up trumps once again.

“LUSH” COSMETICS – CHARITY POT Regular readers will be aware that last year, Graham applied unsuccessfully to LUSH for a donation to cover the costs of the 3 Gazebo’s we purchased to protect members and greyhounds from inclement weather.  Although we were unsuccessful last year, the LUSH panel suggested we may like to apply for funding this year and as a result, Graham applied for funding to cover the cost of the 2 display stands purchased last month at a cost of £422.  We have just been notified that we have been successful and £422 is winging it’s way to our bank account as we speak.  We have used the stands 3 times now – Carlisle MAG Day, Dalbeattie Charity Shop and Annan Coffee Morning and members of the public have been singing the praises of the pictures and how they saw where we were from a fair distance away. One even commented “it really does show the professionalism of your organisation”.  A big thanks to member Carol Kershaw for coming up with the idea and to LUSH for donating the costs of the stands

CFM Pride of Cumbria Awards - Friday 9th April As many of you will know Al was nominated for the 'Local Hero' Award at Friday nights CFM Pride of Cumbria Awards Ceremony. Judy and Al duly went along on the night to the Auctioneer in Carlisle and were treated to a Champagne Reception and three course meal. The event was hosted by CFM and Riverside, Robbie Dee from CFM was the announcer and a number of local dignitaries presented the awards. We are pleased to announce that Al came a very creditable second in his category and both Judy and Al spent the entire evening promoting Greyhounds and the charity to anyone who would listen!

Tuesday 6th April For the third year in a row, DCGR will be entering the Walking Competition of the Guid Nychburris (Good Neighbours) Day Parade in Dumfries and will be attempting to win the Geordie Dyer Trophy for the best entry.  Regular readers will know that we have won the trophy for the last 2 years and IF we win it this time, we may retire gracefully. Graham already has the idea for this year’s parade which involved MINIMUM dressing up but requires at least 20 greyhounds to take part in the parade. He will be personally contacting those who attended last year but it would be really nice if “new blood” were to take part. Further information can be obtained from Graham at 01387 760577.  This is not a fundraiser as such but is an excellent way to promote greyhounds as family pets in front of literally thousands of “doonhamers” as well as having a really good time yourselves. Come on – give it a go – the more the merrier.

MEET A GREYHOUND DAY - CARLISLE - SATURDAY 3RD APRIL Graham was glad he took this photograph shortly after he set up the stand as 10 minutes later, you wouldn't have been able to see the table never mind the dogs!! Eventually we had more than 20 greyhounds on display for the first event of the financial year and literally hundreds of people stopped by to say hello. Interest was so high, we nearly ran out of leaflets and the people of Carlisle were extremely generous, donating £789 - yes Seven Hundred and Eighty Nine Pounds towards the work we do finding homes for ex-racing greyhounds.  Graham was even interviewed live on local radio! If the number of enquiries we had turns into homes, this will be one of the best Meet a Greyhound Days we have ever had. Apologies to member Ann Thomson for missing her out of the photograph but at least Graham got Tiffy in!!

BBC LOOK NORTH VISITS DCGR Trai Anfield from BBC Look North based in Newcastle travelled to Kershopefoot near Newcastleton to do a piece on DCGR and immediately fell in love with homeless greyhound, Nell. Nell was being fostered by Graham and Margaret at Kirkgunzeon but has now moved to Arthur's at Waterbeck until a permanent home could be found. Our member, Carol Kershaw who stays in Kershopefoot, was asked to judge the TV Channel's photographic competition and suggested that they may wish to do a piece on our charity in return. Well Trai fell in love with the dogs as soon as she saw them and Nell was the star. Wherever Nell was placed she stood and was a perfect advert for the greyhound breed.  We believe that the programme will go out next week so please tune in and hear Carol talking about the charity.  The picture shows Trai and Graham with Finlay, Magic and Nell.

WINTER COATS (AND SUMMER IF IT IS LIKE IT WAS LAST YEAR!) DCGR have acquired a limited number of really classy greyhound coats which we will be selling at £20 (+ postage if necessary). The coats are all black and come only in sizes 26",28" and 30". The have a velcro fastener at the waist and a velcro front opening also and there is a space for the lead to come "through the coat". They are fully lined and when fully closed, cover the neck as well.  As we have limited stocks it will be on a first come first served basis and can be bought by phoning Margaret at 01387 760577. We will carry a small stock of them to the various events we attend this year. The pictures show Magic modelling a size 30".

A GREYHOUND DAY OUT Graham and Margaret had their busiest time in Kirkgunzeon this week when they had 7 dogs staying at various times. First of all they had the resident 3 - Magic, Star and Poppy along with Fleck, May, Nell and puppy Ted. Ted was rehomed to Dunscore leaving the other 6.  Initially, May and Nell were in the kennels but after having their "operation", Margaret felt sorry for them and that was that, they were "in the house". The picture shows Margaret with (left to right) Magic, Poppy, May (now Maisie), Nell, Star and Fleck. The good news that our member from Aberdeen, Jane Elliott was so taken with May (now Maisie) that she has found her forever home and will be travelling north on Monday.

CHARITY SHOP - DALBEATTIE - 25TH/26TH/27TH MARCH DCGR's annual 3 day charity shop in Dalbeattie was another success in fundraising terms despite the inclement weather. As usual, the residents of Dalbeattie attended the shop in their droves, knowing that there would be plenty of bargains on offer. Over £618 was raised for DCGR funds with plenty of people commenting on how marvellous our donations were. DCGR would like to thank our volunteers Margaret Hill, Jane Elliot and Liz Iken for "manning" the shop, McKenzie's Ironmongers for allowing us use of the shop and the people of Dalbeattie for being so generous.  The picture shows Margaret, and Jane outside the shop along with Chief who popped in to visit en-route to his foster home in Newton Stewart.

PRIDE OF CUMBRIA AWARDS Never one to miss an opportunity to publicise DCGR, Graham nominated Al Todd, our Re homing Co-ordinator for CFM’s Pride of Cumbria Award under the category – “Local Hero”. Well Al has made it through to the last 3 and will be invited to the Shepherds Inn in Carlisle on the 9th of April where the final decisions will be made.  Don’t know if it will be broadcast live – if it is, please listen in, if not please use the power of positive thought – you never know!!!

20th March Graham and Margaret would like to thank everyone who has donated goods for the forthcoming charity shop in Dalbeattie at the end of the month. Our members and supporters have been very generous and donations have ranged from children's toys and games to a limited edition Gainsborough print and from a magnificent peacock backed conservatory chair to some really nice jewellery. The picture shows one of Graham and Margaret's bedrooms nearly to the roof and this DOES NOT include the goods in the DCGR caravan (which is full) and their garage!!!

TALK ON GREYHOUND RESCUE Graham and Margaret travelled along the Solway Coast on Wednesday 17th March to give a talk on greyhound rescue to the ladies of the Whinnieligatte Women's Rural in Kirkcudbright. About 20 ladies were present including one of our members, Marie Cook and they listened intently as Graham recounted the story of DCGR and the work we do re-homing ex-racing greyhounds. While Graham was giving the talk, Margaret (as usual) was setting up the sales stall. After the presentation, the ladies attended the stall and were amazed at what we had on offer. The greyhounds in attendance at the presentation were Magic, Star and Poppy as due to lack of space in the car, foster dogs May and Nell were left behind in the emergency kennels. After tea and sandwiches, the raffle was drawn and Margaret won a prize!!! The proceeds of the raffle was donated to DCGR which led to a total of £73 being raised on the night. The picture shows three of the ladies with Magic, Star and Poppy.

Graham with Jason and Jim, picture taken in November 2009, just after Jason became a Patron of DCGR FUNERAL OF OUR PATRON – JASON WOOD On Monday 15th March, Graham Hill and Carol Kershaw drove down to St Mary’s Church, just outside Luton, to attend Jason’s funeral.  They left in plenty of time arriving at 12.30pm for the 2pm ceremony and as the car park was deserted, decided to go for a spot of lunch. On arriving back at the church they couldn’t get parked it was so busy and when they entered the church, it was standing room only!!  At the beginning of the ceremony, they played one of Jason’s CD tracks which on conclusion, was met with a mixture of tears and loud clapping and whistles.  Following the more sombre catholic mass, the priest advised the congregation that as Jason was carried from the church to his final resting place, they would play another track recorded by Jason – Bright Eyes – and he requested a standing ovation as he made his final exit.  Well the rafters of the old church fairly shook as friends, relatives and supporters cheered, whistled and clapped – he would have been proud.  After the ceremony, Carol and Graham spoke to Brian, Jason’s father and he was delighted that they had taken the effort to drive down to pay their respects and that he wanted to continue to support the charity in any way he could. He himself has taken responsibility for Jason’s lurcher – Jim, now called JJ.  After leaving home at 6am, a tired Graham and Carol arrived at their respective homes just before midnight.

LEGACY DCGR are indebted to the father of Sue Neal, a member and foster carer from just outside Penrith, who left the greyhounds £1,000 in his will. It really does tug at the heartstrings when people think of the plight of ex-racing greyhounds and are as generous as he was.  This legacy will enable DCGR to further our work in saving and finding homes for these magnificent animals and we thank him very much.

RETIRING COLLECTION – FUNERAL OF DCGR HONORARY MEMBER, NORMA PEARCE At the recent funeral of our member, Norma Pearce, the family announced that there would be a “retiring collection” in aid of DCGR as Norma was a tireless supporter and fundraiser for the greyhounds. DCGR are extremely grateful to the family and have received a cheque to the value of £222.41 to assist in the work of saving and finding homes for ex-racing greyhounds.

4th March - Lady becomes a PAT dog P.A.T.DOG LADY MY NAME IS LADY A GREYHOUND THRU AND THRU I THOUGHT I WOULD LET YOU KNOW ABOUT A JOB I DO MY MAM SAYS I'M PLACID AS COOL AS COOL CAN BE SO LADY SHE SAID DO YOU THINK A THERAPY DOG YOU COULD BE SO OFF WE WENT TO SEE A LADY ANN FINLAY WAS HER NAME SHE GAVE ME LITTLE TESTS TO DO WHICH I THOUGHT WAS JUST A GAME SHE THOUGHT I WAS LOVELY AND HOPED I'D PASS THE TEST MIND YOU I TRIED VERY HARD AND DID MY VERY BEST. A LETTER CAME TO SAY I'D PASSED A P.A.T. DOG NOW I'M OFFICALLY CLASSED I WEAR MY YELLOW JACKET WITH PRIDE AND OF COURSE MAMS ALWAYS BY MY SIDE I VISIT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN IN A LOVELY CARING HOME THEY PAMPER ME AND PET ME AS IF I WAS THEIR OWN TO SEE THEIR FACES TURNING TO SMILES IT MAKES MY JOB VERY WORTHWHILE. BY LADY ASKEW (WITH HELP FROM MAM)

25th February DCGR have been donated a number of 50's/60's clothes which have been in storage and well looked after. All are in good condition and in a variety of designs. Would be ideal for art students, retro people or even for fancy dress.  An example of the clothes are being worn by Margaret Hill, Treasurer of DCGR and any more information on what we have can be obtained from Margaret at 01387 760577. Prices are negotiable.

Ashlea Vets of Carlisle donate £520 to DCGR On 4th February, Ashlea Vets of Carlisle, presented a cheque for £520.00 to the Dumfriesshire and Cumbria Greyhound Rescue. Each year, Ashlea Vets raise money for  two chosen charities - one for people and the other for animals. This year, they have raised £1,120.00 - £600.00 of which was donated to the victims of the Haiti earthquake, and £520.00 to Dumfriesshire and Cumbria Greyhound Rescue. Ashlea Vets  chose to donate the money to the DCGR for 2 reasons - they had contacted DCGR last year when a lurcher puppy was handed into the surgery - the puppy had been abused and abandoned and the vet practice contacted DCGR to help find a home for the puppy. The second reason was that a number of the vets' clients have rescue greyhounds themselves. The main fund raising was organised by Christine Stalker, Veterinary receptionist, Rowena Batey, Veterinary Nurse, and Kirst Barker, Vet. The money was raised by having Quiz Nights, and by vet, Kirsty Barker, being sponsored to take part in the Great North Run, and the Cumbrian Run.

TESCO DOES IT AGAIN Paul Cook, a member from Kirkcudbright who works in Tesco, Castle Douglas, was made aware of some "christmas" dog treats being disposed of by Tesco and made a bid on behalf of Greyhound Rescue. Over 100 treats and toys were donated to DCGR which Margaret picked up on Sunday 7th February. The treats will be used over the coming months for our "homeless" hounds and to keep our regular canine attenders at Meet a Greyhound Days happy and contented after their long hours of being fussed over. The picture shows the donated treats - Magic, Star and Poppy were kept out of the room at the time as they thought Christmas had arrived for a second time in 2 months!!

DCGR "STEPS UP A GEAR" IN PROMOTING GREYHOUNDS AS FAMILY PETS Thanks to Carol Kershaw, our committee members from Newcastleton and who is also a professional photographer, DCGR have managed to get a great deal on a "photo display board". DCGR is keen to improve it's professionalism at events and talks etc and these display boards will give an ideal backdrop at Meet a Greyhound Days and at the talks given by Graham. The displays come with a large base which can be filled with water for extra stability which means they can be used inside and out.  The picture shows Carol with DCGR's treasurer Margaret and one of the display boards.

ISABELLE'S 70TH BIRTHDAY PARTY Isabelle McManaman, who joined DCGR a few months after the charity came into being, celebrated her 70th birthday party on Friday 5th February and as she is housekeeper to Lord and Lady Annandale, was invited to hold her birthday meal at the family seat at Raehills, on the outskirts of Dumfries.  Over 40 guests, including Graham and Margaret were invited to attend and were literally treated like royalty for the evening. Isabelle had intimated that instead of presents, she would like her guests to give a donation to DCGR instead. Graham and Margaret were given a tremendous surprise (even reducing Margaret to tears) when £500 was donated to DCGR by Isabelle. Graham was invited to give a speech of thanks and briefly informed the guests of the terrific work carried out by DCGR. A really, really big thanks to Isabelle for her very generous gesture.  The pictures show Margaret receiving the cash from Isabelle in the Dining Room and a picure of Margaret and fellow table guests and members, Helen and Ron McGregor, Norma Pearce, Honorary Member of DCGR and William, the accordianist for the evening.

DONATION OF DOG FOOD FROM TESCO A big thanks from DCGR to our Vice Chair Loraine, who works in Tesco in Annan for arranging a massive donation of dog food which will be used for our "homeless" greyhounds. Loraine was organising a Meet a Greyhound Day at the store and when speaking to the management, they offered her some dog food for the greyhounds. When Loraine went to pick it up thinking it might be a few bags and cans, she was wrong and had to telephone her husband to come with his van to help transport the goodies. We are really grateful to Pat and Neil for arranging the donation. The picture shows 3/4 of the donation in Graham and Margaret's porch awaiting distribution.

TALK TO "AE ALLSORTS" THURSDAY 5 FEBRUARY Graham and Margaret along with Magic, Star and Poppy journied along to Ae Village, just outside Dumfries on Thursday 5th February to give a talk to the Ae Allsorts in the Woodlands Bar in the Village. About 15 ladies and gents listened to the talk despite the heating in the bar not working. Nevertheless, Graham raised the temperature by recounting all the positve aspects of Greyhound Rescue and DCGR in particular and when the greyhounds came in, the cold was forgotten. As usual, Margaret set up a sales table and at the conclusion of the talk, Margaret was swamped by people looking for a memento or a bargain. The pictures show the DCGR trailer outside the bar as well as a general scene of the "sales area" and one of Magic being fussed over.  Over £55 was raised for DCGR funds as a result of the talk.

Emily Rice (daughter of Tracy Rice a foster carer for DCGR who stays in Newton Stewart) and her friend Siovhan gave a talk on Greyhound Rescue to her classmates at the Douglas Ewart High School as part of an English assignment.  By all accounts, the talk went extremely well and Emily, who gave the talk, is to be congratulated for her initiative. The picture shows both girls with "visual aids" Rocky and foster dog Ben.

MEET A GREYHOUND DAY AT ASDA (CARLISLE)- 23.01.10 An excellent turn out of members and their greyhounds for the first fundraising event of 2010 meant that many customers of Asda stopped to say hello and to stroke the dogs. Although a little chilly, it was dry and the fact there were so many people to talk to, the time just flew by. As usual, the greyhounds were behaving impeccably and this alone brought many positive comments from the public. At the end of the day, we had 3 follow ups to do so hopefully they will result in new homes in the near future. Over £393 was raised in the charity tins and we are extremely grateful to Asda for allowing us to hold the event. The pictures show general scenes of the event.

CALENDARS We have much pleasure in informing all our members and supporters that our first venture into compiling and publishing our own calendar has been a tremendous success. Through Peter and Jackie Bacci's newsagents, our own webshop (www.dcgr.co.uk) run by Malcolm and by the energetic selling of our members, DCGR has raised well over £1,500 PROFIT which will go towards saving ex-racing greyhounds. As everyone knows, unlike the RGT we like all other independent greyhound rescue's, get no funding from the British Racing Greyhound Board and all our members are volunteers so every penny we raise really "goes to the dogs". This was ably illustrated by Deacon, presently being fostered by Al and Judy, who broke his leg and was to be put to sleep. Through collaboration with the vet, owner, specialist vets and DCGR themselves, Deacon was saved and is making a terrific recovery. There are many stories that go unpublished regarding DCGR saving greyhounds and lurchers but the cash raised throughout the year at fundraising events + sales of calendars and christmas cards + the generosity of our supporters allows DCGR to go from strength to strength.

LAZY GREYHOUND If ever there was an example of how ridiculously lazy greyhounds are then Magic is it! Magic stays with Graham and Margaret in the middle of nowhere near Kirkgunzeon in Dumfries and Galloway and after a SHORT WALK, Magic decided to settle down and if he had stayed any longer, he would have put his head down and gone for a snooze!! Greyhounds are ideal pets for weather such as this for they need little exercise and prefer to be snuggled up in front of a warm fire - just like their owners!!