A DOG show was held at the Frog and Bucket pub in South Petherwin, raising money for one Launceston youngster to travel to Uganda next year.

Fifteen-year-old Megan Belsey, a Year 11 pupil at Launceston College, organised a fun dog show on September 8, in order to raise some money for her travels to Uganda in July 2020. The dog show saw a huge number of entries, with friends and family all turning out to support the cause.

Megan’s step-dad, Patrick, said: “It was absolutely fantastic. Megan is well on the way with her fundraising to go to Uganda next year!”

In order to be accepted onto the programme taking her to the country in July 2020, Megan had to undergo an application process at Launceston College, where she had to make a statement and then go in for an interview, where she was selected as one of the students to go on the trip next year. Having been accepted onto the programme, Megan now has to raise £1,400.

“She’s now very apprehensive about all of her fundraising and is focusing on that,” Patrick continued. “She raised £524 from the dog show, which is just fantastic, and she’s getting other donations coming in all the time.”

The dog show was the first of many fundraising events for Megan, as she has quizzes, wine and wisdom events and a family fun day planned in the near future.

Patrick said: “The turnout on the day of the dog show was fantastic. We charged £1 per dog, per class and we had cake stalls too. We also had a couple of local businesses who helped out and donated money towards the cause.

“The support overall was fantastic, and it wouldn’t have been possible without our judges — Jason McGuinness, who is local, who owns Foxies Dog Groomers, and a lady called Pat, who runs Wiggins & Co. They did everything for free. The team at the Frog and Bucket were amazing, too.

“It was just a fun day, it wasn’t anything serious, but it was about getting all the locals out and raising money in a good environment for a great cause.

“A huge thanks to all the parents, friends and family who came along, but especially to the judges and all the staff at the Frog and Bucket because it was absolutely mental for them as well!”