Hall Green’s Retired Greyhound Trust is to hold an “All Creatures Great and Small” Animal Blessing at Worcester Cathedral this Saturday.
The event is being held to celebrate the national Retired Greyhound Trust’s 40th anniversary.
It will involve a special, animal-friendly service, which includes music, animal-related hymns, readings and a very special Memory Tree, on which those who wish to remember a pet that has passed away can place a memorial heart.
After this special blessing, pets and their owners will have the opportunity to enjoy refreshments and will be able to browse a number of animal related charity and guest stalls in the cathedral’s cloisters.
This wonderful event will also be attended by the Mayor and Mayoress of Worcester. The service starts at the river bridge at 1:15 with a parade of our pets led by a Scottish Piper, arriving at the Cathedral for 2pm. Admission is free.
Tracey Parbery, organiser of the blessing, said: “We are excited to welcome greyhounds, owners, RGT volunteers and supporters to this very special service which commemorates 40 years of the charity’s work. The RGT has found loving homes for more than 70,000 greyhounds since 1975, and I thought this blessing would be a lovely way to recognise this achievement.
“Basically I saw something like it on television once, possibly on the Vicar of Dibley, and thought it would be great to do something similar. I approached the cathedral, not expecting them to say yes, but to my surprise they thought it was a great idea.
“We would like to extend an invitation to anyone who loves animals, supports the RGT or who would simply like to find out more about the charity’s work. It promises to be a great day for dogs and owners alike, and we hope many people will join us for this unique celebration.
“Any animals are welcome though. If you’ve got a pet lizard, bring it along. If you’ve got a hamster, bring it along in its cage. There is a safety element involved of course, and we hope people will use common sense. We expect most people bringing cats will bring them in a carrier rather than on a lead, and we will have stewards on the doors.”
