Animal sanctuary is boosted by ball

By fweelen

A glittering masked ball at the Bowlish House Hotel, in Shepton Mallet, raised thousands of pounds for the Happy Landings Animal Sanctuary.

Guests included representatives from businesses, sanctuary founder Annabel Walters and the staff.

Many of the guests entered into the spirit of the occasion and wore animal masks.

One of the highlights of the evening was an auction of promises, with donations ranging from dog-grooming sessions to a luxury break and a morning out on the gallops with racehorse trainer Paul Nicholls and his champion horses.

Auctioneer for the night was chartered surveyor Paul Knight, who kept the bids coming in thick and fast. The auction alone brought in more than £2,000.

The guest speaker was former Royal Marine sergeant Pen Farthing, author of One Dog At A Time, who gave a heart-rending speech describing the rescue of dogs from the Helmand province in Afghanistan.

Jane Bowe, director of Probusiness Limited from Wells, which organised the night, thanked everyone who had supported the event.

"It was a wonderful evening and we are so grateful to all the people who came along, all the sponsors and all those who gave so generously to the auction," she said.

Annabel Walters said she was overwhelmed by the support for the night and praised Probusiness for organising the event.

The final amount raised will be announced once sponsorship has been collected.

But Ms Walters said it would make a massive difference to the animal sanctuary at Pylle.