PEOPLE walked along Weymouth seafront side by side with man’s best friend in a student-led fundraiser for the Dogs Trust.

A group of eight A-Level students from Dorchester’s Thomas Hardye School were asked to think of a fundraising project to organise, run and evaluate as part of their Business Studies course.

The event was held on Saturday morning and people were asked to bring their dogs for a walk starting at Weymouth Pavilion to Café Oasis at Bowleaze Coveway – a combined distance of five miles there and back.

Student Olly Sharp, 18, said the Dog’s Trust was a well known charity and most of the school students had dogs so could relate to the work the Trust does.

He added: “We can’t really think about a dog being mistreated, so we knew that the Dog’s Trust was a very worthwhile cause and a charity everyone could probably relate to.

“The idea was to get as many people as possible to take part in the walk, and overall we had almost 30 people sign up to take part, which was fantastic.”

Before the walk, the students had raised a combined total of £180 for the charity from the event, which cost £5 per person to take part.

People were also encouraged to donate via the event’s Just Giving page.

All entrants at the event received a doggy goody bag and certificate at the end of the walk, which included items donated from local businesses.

Jamilla Carlson, 17, said she took part in the walk with her three-year-old dog Crimble because she wanted to help raise money for a good cause.

Jamilla, who is also a Thomas Hardye student, added that the event was welcomed with good weather and it had inspired her to do more fundraising in the future.

Thomas Hardye business teacher Mandy Banfield said: “A massive thank you must go to all the businesses that have donated items and supported us, which include the Pet Experience in Weymouth and Futures Dog Food in Bridport.

“The students came up with this event idea themselves and they’ve done a really good job.

“What’s funny is that after the students chose this idea, the RSPCA chose their fundraising initiatives for the year, which included three dog walks.

“I’m very proud of the students and of their efforts to raise money for the Dog’s Trust.

The Dog’s Trust is the UK's largest dog welfare charity offering outreach programs, education, information, dogs for rehoming, legislation and campaigning.

Anyone still wishing to donate to the Weymouth dog walk event can visit justgiving.com/weymouthwalkies.