On Saturday 3rd May, we hosted another Community Dog Show where the Thornbury community came together for a fantastic day of four-legged fun. The show was proudly led by the charity’s incredible young volunteers, a true example of a team!
The day kicked off with a round of our young members displaying their dog handling skills and showcasing their beloved dogs, with Arbour and Maple taking centre stage winning the Albus award.
Following this exciting line up was a true celebration of inclusion, teamwork, and community spirit. Thanks to generous support from local businesses — including St Mary Centre, Bark, and Hawkes House —we were able to bring the show to life. With many more small businesses also making the raffle a success with their contributions of show-stopping prizes; which were a huge hit!
The community atmosphere was incredibly positive and the sun shone for us all day. The young volunteers worked tirelessly to keep everyone cool and happy — serving up ice creams and drinks with enthusiasm and smiles.
Feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive with the day being described with words like “inclusive,” “sunshiny,” and “innovative.” One visitor commented on the “very friendly atmosphere, lots of doggy socialising, and beautiful rosettes,” while another shared how heartwarming it was to see young people confidently taking the lead.
We were blessed with 74 entries to the show on the day, with rounds such as best dressed, waggiest tail and the new round; teddy team. Every dog that entered received a purple JIGSAW Thornbury rosette, with the top dogs getting special 1st, 2nd, and 3rd rosettes, all sponsored by Bark. The total raised on the day out stretched our goals with a whopping £720.51 raised. These funds help our charity to continue the life changing services, providing vital support, compassion and empowerment.
This event was a fantastic opportunity for our young volunteers to shine; building skills and confidence as they were empowered to take the lead. Each one of them building on their individual interests and passions to take on roles such as marketing, event preparation, stall holder and judging. Our team of adult volunteers have built up fantastic working relationships with the young volunteers and their support ensured that everyone had a wonderful time.
This was the first major event me in my new role as the charity’s Community Fundraising and Participation Lead, and I was amazed by the community spirit and incredible young volunteer team! We’re on a mission to make 2025 JIGSAW’s biggest fundraising year yet — and the Dog Show definitely gets a big gold star in helping us get there!
Blog written by Bonnie Rayment, JIGSAW Community Participation and Fundraising Lead.
