Val and I recently attended a special Pet Service at St. Paul's Church Hall in Sale by Rev. Barbara Sharp and I can honestly say I have never been to anything like it before.

The room was filled with dogs, hamsters, a snake a tortoise and of course their owners. It was an animal lover's paradise!

As Val and I have recently lost both of our dogs, within the space of a few weeks of each other, we took along a photograph of them both.

It was a lovely service and a really nice thing to do for our pets.

Following the service there was a Pet Show hosted and judged by the Mayor of Trafford Cllr Rob Chilton with special guest judge Eamonn O'Neal.

I have known Eamonn for some time, in fact when I first started writing this weekly column Eamonn, as an experienced columnist, gave me some great advice.

He has also very kindly helped promote my charity events over the years in his own weekly column that he held at another newspaper and also on his BBC Radio Manchester Show. He is a lovely gentleman who I really respect and admire.

After judging the competition, with all funds raised on the day going to the Mayor's charities, (The Alex Hulme Foundation, the Society for Abandoned Animals and the Manchester Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Charity) Eamonn said: “It was a real joy to be part of the pet service and competition.

"I met some wonderful characters - and the humans weren’t bad either.

"There’s an impressive feeling of community amongst the parishioners of St. Paul’s and the Mayor and Mayoress play an integral part.

"I hope they ask me back again."

The Mayor of Trafford, Cllr. Rob Chilton added: "The Pet Service and Show was a bit of fun on a rainy day, and made over £100 for my charities.

"There was a serious message though - that our pets are deserving of love and respect from we who are responsible for them.

"It saddens me that animal sanctuaries are still a necessity in a civilised society, but they're a great cause to support."

Val and I really enjoyed our day at St. Paul's, meeting all the gorgeous pets and getting our 'dog fix' especially after the sad loss of our own dogs.

We would like to thank the Rev Barbara Sharp for her lovely service and the Mayor and Mayoress for inviting us along.

To finish I'd like to share with you some nice news. I have received a lovely email from Sale Rotary Club saying that the club would like to present me with a special commendation award to acknowledge the work that I do for our community.

I am really thrilled to accept the award and I'm looking forward to attending the presentation evening.

I feel honoured and very grateful.

See you next week!