Dear Ridgeback friend,

What follows is being sent out to our mailing list but, in view of the postal strikes, we thought that those visiting our website should have a chance to read it too, so here goes:

Whilst Summer 2009 may be remembered as a non-event, the same can’t be said for the RRWT’s Spring and Summer functions – the 2nd Jamboree, the 20th Chieveley Rally and the 2nd of Peggy Wilson’s Car Boot Sales, which all combined to make the Trust £2350.  Moving on to Autumn, Peggy’s Companion Dog show made a profit of over £800, bringing the total raised by this remarkable lady to in excess of £15,000!   Our sincere thanks to all who organised, came, helped, took part so enthusiastically and gave so generously.

DISCOVER DOGS  This year, for the first time, in an effort to raise more funds to help with all our kennelling and vet bills, we're taking our wares (and a couple of Ridgebacks) to Discover Dogs at Earl's Court on Sat 14th & Sun 15th November http://www.discoverdogs.org.uk/  . If you can, we'd love you to come and support us by visiting the stand and maybe buying a few RR Christmas presents. We've bought some terrific new merchandise and of course the new calendars and Christmas cards will be on sale too. We also could do with a couple more helpers to man the stand with us on Sunday - so if you feel you could spare a couple of hours to help then please email Rich & Ellen on ewatts@ellerich.co.uk or call them on 01793 709709.

CHRISTMAS PARTY  Another of our ever-popular Christmas Parties (I think the 10th) is scheduled for Sunday 6th December at Shipton under Wychwood, Oxfordshire.   Full details are on the Events page, but needless to say it will include a Fancy Dress Competition,  Bikkie Catching and this year’s award of the Fairman Memorial Salver.   We do hope you will be able to come along and ask only that you let us know so that we can plan the catering.

DIARY DATES 2010   There will be others, but dates for only two have been decided – Chieveley Rally, Sunday 11th July and the Christmas Party, Sunday 5th December.   Dates of other events will be published on our website as they become known and will of course be mentioned in mailshots.

2010 CALENDARS and CHRISTMAS CARDS  The 2010 RRWT Calendar is now on sale at the same price as last year (£7.00 + p&p).   Our thanks go to all of you who provided photographs for it.  Still the only calendar sold to aid rescued Ridgebacks, it is as popular as ever so be sure to make certain of your copy by sending in the order form enclosed.   The form also includes our new Christmas cards at £2.99 for a pack of 6 – see the Merchandise page for full details.

MERCHANDISE   Rich and Ellen Watts have taken over the creation and sale of RRWT Merchandise and moved us into the 21st century with an exciting range of new products.   An illustrated mail order price list is on the Merchandise page    With Christmas just around the corner, you are sure to find the ideal present for virtually everybody.

STAMP APPEAL RESPONSE   Thank you very much for your generous response to our appeal in the last mailshot for stamps.   Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough cards to send to everyone, so if you didn’t receive one but would like to put a few 2nd class stamps into an envelope to help with postage for our mailings, we would be very grateful.   Please send them to Hilary Maddox, 29 Berks Hill, Chorleywood, Hertfordshire, WD3 5AG.

A FIFTEENTH ANNIVERSARY MESSAGE FROM OUR NEW VICE CHAIRMAN   November sees the 15th anniversary of the founding of the Rhodesian Ridgeback Welfare Trust.   What better time for this message from Trevor Smith, who was recently elected Vice Chairman of Trustees.

THE RRWT CHALLENGE

Fund raising for The Rhodesian Ridgeback Welfare Trust just got serious.  In the coming year we will be launching our biggest challenge yet - a fund to buy, build or beg our own premises.  We will be holding events specifically for this purpose.

You will be able to buy a brick, buy a square foot (or even the metric equivalent) of ground, buy a tile, buy a door, buy a window and sponsor a kennel, perhaps as a memorial to a loving brown dog of the Ridgeback variety.  There will be a competition to find a name for our kennels; your prize may mean immortality and the grateful thanks of generations of Ridgebacks to come.  We can even solve the age old problem of what to buy the husband or wife who has everything, purchase any of the above and receive a certificate signed by all the trustees.

Give your sponsored walk, sky dive, or indeed any event the added impetus of lasting proof of your participants’ achievement. Any donation over a thousand pounds will get a permanent plaque of recognition in addition to our heartfelt thanks.

Whilst we are eternally grateful to several kennel owners who always make room for one of our rescues, we really do want somewhere we can call home, to hold events such as the present Chieveley Rally and the Jamboree. With our own premises we can hold training days, behaviour surgeries and many other requested events. We could even offer preferential boarding rates to Friends and members of the Trust and of course very extra special rates to Trust rescue dogs - just recall the look you get at some boarding kennels when you try to book your hound in for that emergency stay.  And  at least he will be with folk who in all probability will know them and their foibles.

How much will all this cost? At this time we are setting the target fairly high at £750,000.  Did I hear someone say they’ll never get that; my answer is yes we will. I recall a certain oriental gentleman once saying “A journey of a thousand miles begins with but one step”.  Well that step has already been taken so with 999.99 miles to go we are part way there already, and you didn’t even know it so now you do and with your help each following step will be so much easier.

Get ready to be pestered because once we start we have no brakes.  Trevor Smith

WANTED – A TREASURER  The appeal in the last newsletter produced a “nearly but not quite” result, so we are still hoping that one of our supporters will be able to put their accountancy skills at our disposal.   If you feel you could help, please phone Jan Grimwood, our Hon Treasurer, on 01869 331575.

NEWS FLASHES ** Our wonderful website, created and updated by Susan Clayborough, has now had no fewer than 13,000 visits!  ** Our FRIENDS of RRWT scheme is up, running and on course for our target of 100 members this year.   If you would like to join, Rich and Ellen Watts will be pleased to hear from you – email ewatts@ellerich.co.uk, or telephone 01793 709709.  ** You will find a form on the Donations page for you to join or renew your subscription to our long-running fund raiser, the RRWT 100 Club.   **There is also an important notice on the Events page that you should read about insurance at our events.

 ** Especially in the light of the current postal strikes, we are anxious to send out our news to as many supporters as possible by email rather than in the post.   Not only will it save us money, but there is a better chance of the news reaching you and we will be doing our very small bit to reduce paper consumption.   So, if you have not already done so, please tell us your email address (send to helen.adshead@ntlworld.com). You have our absolute assurance that it will not under any circumstances be passed on to anyone else without your express permission.

With all good wishes for Christmas and the new year from the Trustees to you and your dog(s).   We hope to see you at the Christmas Party and/or 2010’s events. 

Peter Jones

Lower Cottage, Greete, Ludlow, Shropshire, SY8 3BX.   Telephone 01584 810548

Email:  jones.hyperion@tiscali.co.uk

TRUSTEES

Peter Jones (Chairman), Helen Adshead, Barrie Davies, Jan Grimwood, Scilla Jones, Hilary Maddox,

Jenny Maitland-Jones,  Mick O’Reardon, Trevor Smith, Norman Spence MRCVS, Ellen Watts, Richard Watts