Just a very quick mention for fellow Whovian and all round lovely person Carolyn Arnold (aka dougggie to those of us who lurk on Gallifrey Base and post on Twitter).





In Feb 2010, she'll be taking part in the Arctic Challenge sponsored dog-sled in aid of Dogs Trust.

To paraphrase from her Just Giving page:

Founded in 1891, Dogs Trust, formerly known as the NCDL, has always campaigned on dog-welfare related issues to ensure a safe and happy future for our four-legged friends. They want to solve the problem of why there are so many unwanted dogs in the UK and seek to achieve this through practical measures and awareness-raising initiatives to educate and inform dog-owners and prospective dog-owners

They maintain rescue/re-homing centres for the care, treatment and re-homing, where possible, of unwanted, homeless, stray, ill-treated, injured and sick dogs and aim to provide a permanent home for life for all those that cannot be re-homed. Dog's Trust believe in never having a healthy dog put to sleep.

The Arctic Challenge is a 7 day trip in Northern Sweden, 100s of miles north of the Arctic Circle. For 5 of the 7 days, it'll be just Carolyn and 9 other people with a team of huskies each, sledding from lodge to lodge through forests and over frozen lakes. She needs to be fit enough to run alongside the sled and uphill when it's too tough for the dogs to pull her and the sled. She has a 12 week training programme ahead to achieve the required fitness levels! She's more daunted, however, at the thought of using outdoor toilets...

Carolyn has set up a Just Giving page for the Challenge and you can donate on-line securely and safely and they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. You can click on the widget above and get donating straight away! All amounts, however small, are very much appreciated.

You can follow dougggie's progress through her training and on the Challenge by reading her blog: http://dougggie.wordpress.com