11 February 2021
The search is on for Gloucestershire’s most talented pets! Here’s how to enter a virtual pet competition, in aid of Cheltenham Animal Shelter
Pet owners across the county are being invited to showcase their furry friends’ hidden talents in exchange for internet fame and the chance to win a prize as well as raising vital funds for one of Cheltenham’s best-loved animal charities.
Cheltenham Animal Shelter (CAS) have teamed up with its charity partner, law firm Willans LLP, to launch a new virtual pet talent show – ‘My Pet’s Got Talent’. Animals of all shapes, sizes and species are encouraged to enter the show, raising money to help CAS continue to provide care for homeless pets.
All that’s required to enter is to submit a short video (of less than one minute) of pets doing something cute, funny, interesting or impressive, with a caption describing their talent to www.gawa.org.uk/mpgt
Entries, which cost £3, are now open and will close at noon on 3 March 2021. All proceeds will go to the Shelter, which rehomes around 650 abandoned domestic animals each year.
The judges will consider all entries, based on creativity, level of difficulty and overall star quality. A shortlist of the strongest videos will then be put to the public vote, which runs from 5 – 15 March. Winners from each category – ‘Talented Dogs’, ‘Talented Cats’ and ‘All Other Pets Unleashed’ – will be announced on Wednesday 17 March and awarded a pet-friendly prize.
The showcase will run on the CAS website and both organisations’ Facebook pages, with entrants and voters encouraged to check back on Friday 5 March to see which talented pets made the shortlist.
Peter Newcombe, General Manager at Cheltenham Animal Shelter said: “We are delighted that Willans have chosen us as their charity partner through these challenging times, particularly as their team have shown a real passion to support the work we do.
“The My Pet’s Got Talent competition is a fun and light-hearted way for supporters to show off their pets while raising funds for the Shelter.”
Emma Thompson, a member of the Willans LLP’s charity committee, said: “We’re so pleased to be partnering with CAS – our current charity of the year as chosen collectively by Willans’ staff. The charity sector has taken a big hit from COVID-19 and it has never been more important for people to dig deep when they can.
“We’ve seen first-hand the incredible work that the Shelter does; every entry will make a real difference. We can’t wait to see the entries and the incredible range of talents!”
‘My Pet’s Got Talent’ is just one of a range of initiatives that the team of around 80 staff at Willans LLP are working on to support CAS. A ‘make a will’ campaign and other online fundraisers are in the pipeline, with staff also supporting the animal charity with volunteering where COVID restrictions allow.
About Us
Cheltenham Animal Shelter
Cheltenham Animal Shelter (CAS) has been helping animals since 1926. The charity rescues and rehomes around 650 unwanted, surrendered and abandoned cats, dogs and small animals from across Gloucestershire every year, at a cost of more than £750,000.
Receiving no government funding, the Shelter relies on donations from the public and the generosity of local businesses and grant-making trusts.
We provide medical care for many of our animals and the ongoing love and care required until we can find them a new loving home. Many of our dogs require behavioural training to give them the best possible chance of finding new homes, which we supply via our in-house specialists.
We educate the public about companion animal welfare through a variety of programmes and talks within the local community.
Willans LLP
A leading South West law firm, we provide businesses, charities and not-for-profit organisations and people with expert, practical and personal service. We act for local, national and overseas clients from our Cheltenham offices.
Willans offers comprehensive legal services in residential property/conveyancing; divorce & family law; wills, probate & trusts; agriculture & estates; dispute resolution/litigation; employment; business immigration; commercial property; corporate & commercial; intellectual property; GDPR & data protection; inheritance & probate disputes; property litigation and mediation.
We are client focused. Established in Cheltenham in the 1940s, we are proud to be Lexcel-accredited, a national standard that is only awarded to law firms which meet the highest management and customer care standards. Many areas of law which we advise on and a good number of our lawyers are recommended purely on merit year-on-year by national independent legal guides (Chambers/Legal 500) who speak to clients about their experiences.
With around 80 people, we are large enough to provide first-class specialist services yet small enough to give genuinely personal service. Our skills, experience and competitive rates combine to ensure clients get good value for money. In terms of technical expertise and the size and value of the transactions we handle, our track record shows our performance more than matches that of many of our larger competitors.
