Intrepid supporters at the Hill’s #1000Paws Walk 2023!
It was icy cold, misty and sometimes drizzly, but people and their pooches still came to Highgate Wine Estate next to Piggly Wiggly - Midlands on Sunday to support and enjoy this year’s Hill’s 1000 Paws Walk for SPCA.
“While figures from the registration desk haven’t been collated yet, clearly fewer people attended compared to last year. But considering the weather and that snow was forecast, it was amazing that we were able to go ahead at all,” said 1000 Paws PRO, Gaynor Lawson.
“We sincerely appreciate everyone who came along and to everyone who made this event happen. We are especially grateful to the Kassier family, Rudi and his daughter Cathryn and her husband Tom Herselman, who allow us to use their magnificent Highgate Wine Estate as the venue for our Hill’s 1000 Paws event. They are so involved and really hands-on, which is sincerely appreciated. The 1000 Paws Walk steering committee would also like to thank the teams from our amazing sponsors, namely Hill’s Pet Nutrition, N3TC - N3 Toll Concession Pty Ltd, and Safire Insurance Company Ltd (who host the water tables), who were with us on Saturday for setting up and Sunday for the event.”
The winning ticket numbers of the Hill’s 1000 Paws raffle were drawn at the event. The top few from a list of over 30 winners were:
1st prize: Qambathi Mountain Lodge - Willie de Waal, ticket bought at Village Feeds in Hilton
2nd prize: Cathedral Peak Hotel getaway - Sonya Caldecott, ticket bought at Peel's Honey
3rd prize: The Cavern Resort Drakensberg getaway - Keith Rasmussen, ticket bought at Piggy Wiggly
4th prize: Moutushi Jannat Prachi getaway - Beverleigh Schlebusch, ticket bought at Cascades Centre
Funds raised by the 1000 Paws project, now in its 14th year (the event could not take place in 2020 because of lockdown restrictions), is shared between the three participating SPCA branches that serve the animals and communities of the Midlands: the Mooi River & District, Umngeni-Howick and Pietermaritzburg SPCAs.
Despite the lower attendance at the event, the schools’ collection tin campaign and corporate sponsorships will add to what is raised at the event and by raffle ticket sales.
“The 1000 Paws Walk project is a unique and multi-faceted fundraising drive, with several diverse elements in addition to the actual event,” says Gaynor Lawson.
“Thankfully, the really bad weather - the sleet and high winds - only arrived after we had packed up! Thank you to everyone who came along, including the vendors, Rachael Manser who co-ordinated the arena events, Derek and Moira Meyer of K9 Academy and their search-and-rescue dogs who did an amazing display of their skills for the paper plate competition, everyone who baked and donated food for the tea tent, contributed prizes, sold and bought raffle tickets, the marshals on the walks, our photographers Jennifer Miller, Alex Goudemond and Mark Preston-Whyte, Ceri Williams who made the lovely 1000 Paws selfie picture frame, the Hilton Scouts who ran the pancake stall and Hilton Lions who did gate control, the St Michael’s ambulance crew, the media who help promote the 1000 Paws drive - the list goes on and on. We really appreciate your support, which helps us to assist our area’s SPCAs who do such vital work for our communities and animals in need.”
More from uMngeni SPCA