Best Selling Author Set to Judge Redwings’ Festive Horse and Pet Show

Redwings Sanctuary has announced best selling author, Elly Griffiths will be helping judge a fun festive online horse and pet show launched by Sanctuary following the success of this summer’s online show.

Elly, author of the hugely popular Dr Ruth Galloway mysteries and long-term Redwings supporter, will be casting her eye over entries to a very special set of classes which give owners the opportunity to write a short story about how their animals have helped put a smile on their faces during this difficult year.

Entries to the Redwings Christmas Show Online will open on Monday 23rd November and close on Sunday 13th December.

This follows the success of Redwings’ first-ever online show in May which attracted more than 600 entries from across the country and raised over £2,200 for the charity after it was forced to cancel its annual fundraising horse show due to the coronavirus lockdown – and it’s hoped even more supporters (two and four-legged) will join in this time!

The Redwings Christmas Show Online offers a variety of festive-themed classes, including ‘Christmas Cracker’ (Handsomest Gelding) and ‘Mare-y Christmas’ (Prettiest Mare) in the horse classes, and ‘Santa Paws’ (Most Dashing Dog) and ‘Walking in a Winter Wonderland’ (Best Seasonal Photo) in the dog classes.

All animals are welcome to compete in the pet classes, from cats to rabbits, from hamsters to tortoises – the more the merrier! Classes include ‘Under the Mistletoe’ (Cuddliest Pet Photo), ‘Best ‘Elfie’ (Best Selfie with your Pet) and ‘Santa’s Naughty and Nice List’ challenging all to capture an image to prove their pet is the cheekiest or most angelic!

There are also new ‘Happy Tails of 2020’ classes, to be judged by Elly Griffiths, where owners of all ages can pay tribute to the ways their pets have raised their spirits or helped them throughout the challenges of this year.

Show organiser Jude Palmer said:

We were blown away by the support shown to our first online show in the spring. Since then, we’ve had many people ask us to repeat it and, as we now unfortunately find ourselves in the middle of a second lockdown, it seemed like the perfect time to launch a new festive version of the show which we hope will put a big smile on everyone’s faces in the run-up to Christmas.

We’re incredibly grateful to Elly Griffiths, as well as our other judges from Equilibrium Products, Pooch’s Dog Treats and Joules, for donating their time to help us pick our winners! As a charity 100% funded by donations, this year has been incredibly challenging for us, so every penny raised through the show will go a long way to supporting our rescued horses and donkeys this Christmas and give us a wonderful boost as we head into the New Year.”

Entries to the Redwings Christmas Show Online will cost a donation of £3 each and everyone will have until the end of Sunday 13th December to get their submissions in. All winners will be announced the following week.

For more information on how to enter and to see a full list of classes, visit www.redwings.org.uk.

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Suzanne Ashton

Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.