Jessica Micallef
St Mary’s Anglican Church in Woodend is hosting Pooches in the Park –a weekly event for dogs and their owners to have a play at the church’s garden.
Reverend Mel Clark said the event was a way to bring the community together after a year of coronavirus restrictions and lockdowns.
“It’s really important for communities to reconnect after being isolated for such a long time and it’s good for them to know that their church is here,“ she said.
“Whether people are religious or not, they can still come to the event.“
The first Pooches in the Park event was held earlier this month. Reverend Clark said people were encouraged to bring a picnic blanket, food and drinks and “poop bags“ to the garden.
She said dogs of all breeds were welcome to attend the event, provided the dog was comfortable off a leash.
“We had about eight dogs at our first event, we closed off the garden and the dogs wore themselves out,“ she said.
“It was lovely to see people connecting again. The event will be a weekly thing at the moment but we will reassess it in a little while to see how we are going.
“Even if you don’t have a dog and you are a dog lover, it’s a good way to be able to play with a pup.“
Pooches in the Park will be held on Wednesday’s from 6pm at 15 Buckland Street, Woodend.
Details: facebook.com/woodendanglican
