Why Not Paws In The Vale?

Dog owners and their dogs across the UK can now enjoy more than 70 attractions, eateries, accommodation-providers and shops in the rural Vale of Glamorgan, safe in the knowledge that they are welcome, thanks to the new Paws In The Vale pilot project. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Commissioned by Creative Rural Communities, part of the Vale of Glamorgan Council, the six month pilot project aims to bring together all that is good and dog-friendly in the rural Vale, and promote it to dog owners throughout the UK, with the aim of boosting leisure visits to the area during the traditionally quieter autumn months. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Councillor Lis Burnett, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Education, said: “This area has so much to offer to dog owners and their dogs, and our new Paws In The Vale brand is a way of bringing this together and promote our collective offer as widely as possible. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“From October 1, if you visit the rural Vale with your dog, you will be able to see easily which attractions, eateries, accommodation-providers and shops are dog-friendly thanks to our Paws in The Vale stickers, and online badges. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“Responsible dog ownership is at the heart of this initiative and feedback from participants to date has been excellent. We are confident in going forward and look forward to welcoming dog owners and their dogs from across the UK to the rural Vale, where they can now enjoy so much more thanks to Paws In The Vale.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Dog owners’ options can be explored at any time, and from anywhere, thanks to a dedicated Facebook page – www.facebook.com/PawsInTheVale – plus bilingual Twitter feeds @PawsInTheVale and @PawennaurFro, which are updated on a daily basis. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Preparation for the pilot project has been extensive, including bespoke training sessions for participating businesses and organisations by Stephen Jenkinson, of Access and Countryside Management Ltd, specialist advisor on influencing dog owner behaviour in the countryside and urban greenspace. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Paws in the Vale has received funding from the Vale of Glamorgan Council and the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2014 – 2020, which is funded by the Welsh Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, and administered by the Vale’s Creative Rural Communities. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​