I met up with some of the stars of the hit British series Downton Abbey who turned out in force to support the young UK charity, Medical Detection Dogs, in London last week. On a gorgeous evening the stars gathered on the bank of Westminster Bridge to board a glass-covered boat for a ‘Doggie Paddle’ dinner and charity auction cruise up the Thames.
The charity, which trains dogs to detect cancer and alert diabetics to dangerous falls in their sugar levels, has already won the patronage of HRH Duchess of Cornwall. The Duchess became a patron in February and together with the Prince of Wales, hosted the dogs and their trainers at St James’s Palace in March.
Cast members of Downton Abbey, including Jim Carter, who plays the stoical Mr Carson, Phyllis Logan, aka Mrs Hughes, and Rob James Collier, the errant under-butler Thomas Barrow joined members of the charity and the excited dogs who thoroughly enjoyed the attention they were receiving… this was their night in the spotlight and the ferocity of the wagging tails was a good indication!
The event attracted celebrity supporters Matthew Kelly, Vikki Michelle, Julie Peasgood, Carol Harrison, Sally Farmiloe-Neville, Joan Hooley, Robert and Babs Powell, Debbie Arnold, Ciara Janson, all of whom had a strong passion for the charity and were thrilled to attend.

Lesley Nicol, best known as the redoubtable Mrs Patmore, has been a keen supporter of the charity since first hearing of its work. Nicol commented: “Medical Detection Dogs has become a passion for me. They are relatively young, and the work they do is absolutely awe-inspiring and I want everyone to know exactly who they are and what they do.  As far as I am aware there is something like a three year waiting list for assistance dogs – and that is before what they do has really become widely known! Can you imagine what will happen when it has?”

“So obviously it’s vital to give them the means to expand their work as soon as possible. These dogs are literally transforming and saving lives, on a daily basis. And if you are poorly, and there is this opportunity out there, three years to wait, is a very long time! The bio detection work – the other part of what this charity does – continues to amaze and impress people when they see the dogs at work. The fact that they can train them to detect early signs of cancer, and in doing so, sometimes remove the need for invasive and unnecessary procedures, and of course save lives – is amazing and seriously deserves our support I think.”

Jim Carter adopted the role of auctioneer for the charity auction and succeeded in raising £11,000 for a holiday on a luxury yacht and £4,000 for the chance to visit the Downton cast on location in the famous Ealing Studios, amongst other prizes. A silent auction was also held where Frank Lampard’s signed football boots, a holiday cottage for a week and three magnums of Italian Prosecco went to the highest bidders. One lucky guest won a £6,000 diamond at the bottom of their champagne glass, but chose to donate his winnings back to the charity.

After dinner, the stars and guests watched a demonstration of the dogs’ work to detect the odour of cancerous cells in urine samples. The sight of the dogs’ swift and accurate detection of the malignant samples left the audience momentarily speechless, before breaking into rapturous applause.
All proceeds of the night will go towards the charity’s work in advancing the early detection of cancer and saving the lives of diabetes sufferers by providing them with a dog to alert them to dangerous rises and falls in their blood sugar levels.

Being the fashionista that I am, I couldn’t leave the event without my glam radar kicking in, so I asked a couple of stars to tell me about their eveningwear. Sally Farmiloe-Neville wore a striking vintage-inspired silver-grey dress from the Gill Harvey Collection, and Vikki Michelle described her very flattering couture dress by Debra of Chigwell.
To find out more about Medical Detection Dogs’s work visit their website: http://medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk

Images: Shane Finn at Visual Devotion

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