MORE than £1,000 was raised after dozens of dogs with their owners in tow took part in a sponsored walk in aid of a local charity.

Last Sunday St Mary's Hospice put on their popular Paws for Thought event.

Owners and their dogs took part in a three-mile sponsored walk through Ulverston and down the canal to raise money for the good cause.

Zoe Guest, head of income generation at St Mary's said: "Our Paws for Thought fun dog walk is really well supported and we were delighted to see so many dogs and their owners take part. It's was a fantastic day and we were lucky to have had the weather on our side."

More than 40 dogs of all shapes and sizes, colours and breeds took part in the walk. Some managed to finish the three miles in a brisk 45 minutes, other taking it at a more sedate pace, finishing in two hours.

Mel Dixon, community fundraiser at St Mary's, said: "The canal was the ideal place for the walk this year."

As well as raising money for the hospice, the walk was a chance for the charity's Positive Living initiative to be put on show.

On top of the palliative care the hospice provides, it is now moving to provide a wider range of services, helping people who have long-term needs.

Miss Dixon said: "It's something that we want to promote, a healthy lifestyle. We have a lot more services here now, and we reach out to a wide network of people."

The Positive Living group at the hospice not only provides support for people to change their exercise habits and diet, but to meet other people who are committed to healthier living.

Speaking about Paws for Thought, Miss Dixon said: "It's a nice social event for people involved with the hospice to get together and see each other."

She said walking a dog was a perfect example of what positive living was about.

The event was well supported, with the West Cumberland Farmers providing free goodie bags for the dogs as a reward for taking part. They also provided sponsorship for the event.

Dog owners were given the opportunity to paw for a 'paw-trait' of themselves and their dogs, with all of the money raised going into the total.

Amy Faragher and her dog Rosie were the lucky winners of a raffle, with their prize being a £200 pet and owner photo shoot provided by Jonathan Lynch Photography.

Miss Dixon said that, based on the hugely positive reception the event received, the hospice would definitely be bringing it back in the new year for another round of fundraising.

So far £1,600 has been raised, but there is still time to make a donation to the hospice - visit their website at http://www.stmaryshospice.org.uk to find out more.