The weekend of the 6th & 7th June 2009, were the dates for the Society annual charity weekend of working tests held in the grounds of Sudeley Castle by kind permission of Lady Ashcombe and the Dent Brocklehurst family, and the Charlton Abbots Estate by kind permission of Mr Edwin Bailey.

The weekend was once again kindly sponsored by Skinners and the two named charities were the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and St. Martins Church, Charlton Abbots.

We experienced mixed weather throughout the weekend and the event did clash with tests being run by the Kennel Club at Chatsworth House on the same two days. This did affect the number of entries we received for some of the classes, but in general our weekend was well attended, and once again proved to be an overall success.

The Retriever classes for - Puppy, Junior Handler, Novice Dog/Novice Handler, and Intermediate were held on the Saturday. This year the tests were judged by Mrs Sue Hutton, Mrs Lisa Harris, Mr Adrian Verinder and Mr Philip Bruton. The day ran smoothly without any of the problems experienced the previous year, and we managed to organise the rotation of competitors between tests in such a fashion that people spent the minimum of time waiting for their turn.

The H.P.R. tests held on the Sunday, ran equally as smoothly, and this year the classes were judged by Mr Alix Johnson (Puppy), Mr Nigel Dear & Mr Richard Herbert (Novice), Ms Amanda Harvey (Graduate) and Mr Jim Field (Open). The water test for all four classes was judged by Mr Dave Barker.

The weekend was another successful event raising £750, which was divided between the two charities. The weather late on the Sunday afternoon tried to dampen the spirits of those members clearing up after the two days.

Such successful events would not be possible without the help of the many volunteers not only during the two days but in the setting up of the area and clearing up afterwards. My thanks go to these members in whatever role they assisted on the day(s), your help was invaluable and really appreciated.