Agility for office manager and her dog

Nicky Sutton, Sales Office Manager for Durston Garden Products, is gearing up for the next season of dog shows and agility displays with her 9-year-old rescue collie Mitzy.

Nicky has been with Durstons for 8 years and when she is not busy in the sales office she spends her spare time doing voluntary work for the Somerset branch of the National Animal Welfare Trust, Heaven’s Gate Farm.

The Heavens Gate rescue dog agility team appear throughout the summer at events across Somerset, promoting the centre and its animals that need new homes. The team attending Heaven’s Gate for training consists of dogs from the centre waiting to be re-homed and dogs that have gone to new homes. It’s all done for fun and not competition. The dogs are put through their paces with a series of jumps, tunnels; sea saws, dog walks and an A frame.

Nicky says "After a busy season at Durston's, keeping all our customers well stocked with compost, it's great to get out there in the summer to promote the centre and raise some much needed funds. It keeps me busy during the weekends and if I'm lucky Chris Durston lets me have the odd day off in the week - like me, he too is an animal lover.

Unlike many other animal charities, the NAWT receives no government funding so it is important to make people aware of the work that we do. Mitzy loves it, and being a collie, she likes to work. She has built up a small fan club over the 6 years since she has been going out, plus, it keeps me fit too!"

Before the agility season starts, Nicky is concentrating on the new compost season. "The orders are really starting to come in now, so it’s busy, busy, busy, which is great. Durstons are in a really good position at the moment, whilst other manufacturers are struggling for stock, we have a good supply”.