WORTHING-BASED Guild Care’s first ever Broadwater Dog Show and Market has raised £1,300 for its Ashdown Centre service which supports children and young adults with disabilities and additional needs.

The event was held at Broadwater Green in conjunction with Paws, Play and Stay of Artex Avenue, Rustington.

It was a great success despite the wet and windy conditions and saw hundreds of pooches and their owners taking part in a wide range of dog show categories and an agility course.

Guild Care event organiser Helen Tidball said: “This would not have been possible without all of the people who attended with their furry friends, our amazing volunteers and staff, Percy Nowell, one of our yrustees and our wonderful compere for the day, The Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Worthing who opened the event.

“Plus Paul at Aries Dog Shop for his fashion show, Liz Monger for her fabulous face painting, and all our wonderful traders and stall holders.

“A very special thank you must also go to Jo Moxon and her Team at Paws, Play and Stay for not only arranging and staging the dog and agility show but also donating all their proceeds totalling over £500 to Ashdown.

All the money raised will go towards equipment or days out for the children and their siblings who use the Ashdown Service.

The Ashdown Centre provides respite from caring, for families of children and young people with special needs and disabilities.

Ashdown is open on Saturdays, school holidays, Wednesday evenings for youth and Thursday evenings for young adults.

The Ashdown Club offers stimulating, fun sessions for at least 6 hours per month for more than 70 families in the Worthing and surrounding areas.

Its highly trained and experienced staff provide a caring and safe environment for children with a wide range of needs such as physical, developmental, educational, sensory, behavioural or psychological including Autistic Spectrum Disorders, Cerebral Palsy and Down’s Syndrome.

Its only criterion is that staff can meet each child’s needs when they are in their care. High ratios of skilled and dedicated staff are always available.