Our regulars at the weekly community walk were able to help out at Kensington Peoples Festival that took place on the August bank holiday in nearby Phythian Park. It was organised by Kensington Vision who run the community businesses on Holt Road including the Croissant cafe where we meet every Thursday. Two and a half years ago we collaborated with Kensington Vision to put on a dog show in the same park which we called Kenny Krufts. We were trail blazers, no one had used this scrappy bit of park for any event of the kind previously. It was a great success and one that we had hoped to emulate every year but alas it did cost a couple of grand to put on which has been hard to come by.
 KV were able to fund the dog show this year thanks to a grant they secured for a three year arts project in the area. In addition to the dog show they aimed to bring artists and performers to create things of interest for the local residents and all also inform attendees of the opportunities to get involved over the three years of the project that includes the launch of the local radio station on FM.
By the time of the show beginning we had a range of contributors, community artists, puppeteers, drumming ensembles, guitars groups, local artisan producers, radio producers, toileteers(supplied by The Bakery- a nearby community arts organisation) refreshments and donkeys! all ready to make the day happen. Crucially we had a team of twenty volunteers to support the general running of the day, registering entries for the dog show, picking up litter, stewarding the site, I could go on but enough to say that without a lot of these unsung tasks being done such events do not happen. Many of these volunteers were, I’m proud to say, were from our dog walkers group and had been involved from the early planning stage of the project. 
So to the day itself; the weather could not have been kinder and we saw the park transform over the next couple of hours. It’s amazing how a bit of brightly coloured tentage and cheap bunting is set off by the rich green grass and other foliage to great effect. Carol Ann has become our regular photographer at the project of late and her pictures capture really we the friendly vibe we created. The itinery for the day was as follows, from midday, in the show ring we had the  dog show part one, performances and dog show part two, best in show, raffle, ending at 4pm. The other activities and stalled operated throughout the period.
We had our own stall were we were selling raffle tickets, cheap squeaky dog toys, homemade dog treats, capturing messages for our beloved pets on camera and generally promoting our activities. It proved popular and at one point when I was visiting the stall to say hi I was given the hard sell by a young lady with a painted face who was helping out to buy some raffle tickets for us.
Everything went more or less to plan and as one of the stewards on the day I was able to rove around the site seeing how all the interweaving parts of the whole were being appreciated by the punters who were local people who know a good day out in a local green space with your neighbours, at an affordable price is an all too rare occasion. Again the pictures of the day capture the fun being had better than any words but as we reflect of the legacy of the event, whether by reminisces of varying happenings on the day, funny anecdotes, suggestions for improvements next time, consultation sheets completed, radio jingles produced we can be clear that we are on the right track when investing our time an energies into this festival and future ones.

Richard Adamson

​​“I’m the winner here,” said Pets and Pals volunteer Sue, when she described how the project had changed her life.
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“The first few times I went, I can’t describe to you what a massive thing it was for me to do, because I’m not one of those people that can just walk into places.” Laughing at the memory, she recalls “The first time I went, I hid around the corner for 5 minutes and then thought ‘No, you’ve got to do it, you’ve got to do it.’” And she did.

“It was a life-line for me too”

“Then the second time I went, I met one of the members, Mo. He picked up on my nervousness and he was really kind and funny. He just seems to have great empathy with people.” Over the last 18 months Sue’s gone from regular walker to committed volunteer, making two really good friends out of fellow volunteers and animal lovers Gabby and Pat. “Everyone has been so kind and supportive, especially since mum died earlier this year.”
Three years ago, she became the main carer for her mum and dad. “My life was becoming very, very reclusive. You tend to lose touch with a lot of people when you are looking after elderly people. When dad died, mum got dementia and then it all got a lot harder. “
It was around this time that Richard from Pets and Pals appeared where she works, armed with leaflets and posters promoting Pets and Pals. On impulse, she asked if she could come along and hasn’t looked back.  

“…then they start talking to each other”

“It was a life-line for me too. It forced me to do things, because when you stop doing things, it becomes hard to do things. And, apart from going to work and looking after mum, I wasn’t doing anything really.”
Volunteering has created opportunities for Sue. “All these things had spin offs and before you know it you are back in control of your life again.”
Sue loves helping out at the Dog Shows and was instrumental in another off shoot of Pets and Pals –taking Nap her dog into residential accommodation to share the power of pets.
“My mum spent the last three months of her life in a care home. It was a lovely home, she was very happy there. Richard and I used to take the dogs in each week. All the residents would be sitting round in a lounge, usually in a circle, with the TV on and you take the dogs in. First, they start talking to you and fussing about the dogs and then they start talking to each other.  It was an amazing experience, more so that they had started talking to each other.”

“It’s still a taboo subject”

Sue is clearly passionate about the difference animals can make to people’s lives and proud of what the group’s achieving. “It’s surprising how many people are suffering from mental health problems. I lost my husband to suicide and it’s still such a taboo subject.”
She tells me it can feel really lonely, but Pets and Pals changed all this for her. “All of a sudden, you are meeting like-minded people. You find yourself with people you don’t mind opening up to. We talk about so many different things.”  

“People say ‘Aren’t you kind?’ And I think no, not really”

​“You start off thinking you are going to do something worthwhile and help other people. But I think you are the one that gets the real bonus from it. I really do feel that. I have had such massive pluses from it, a bit like rescuing a dog. People say, ‘Aren’t you kind?’ and I think no, not really, I’m the winner here.”
Sue shares the magic of animals by posting funny and very cute animal pictures on the group’s Facebook Page. When she’s not at work, volunteering on walks and events, she can be found walking her little 17-year-old rescue dog, Nap, short for Napoleon (so named, because he’s a small, old man, living out his years in exile). Her favourite walking spots are around Sefton Park or Camp Hill in Walton.