Celebrity dog lover Clare Balding leads winter walk in Tatton Park

The broadcaster and author was thrilled to meet more than 400 people and 250 dogs in the grounds of the Cheshire stately home.

She was hosting a Winter Walkies event as part of Pets at Home’s new campaign ‘Five Minutes More’.

This encourages pet owners to add five minutes to every walk to help their dogs stay a healthy weight this winter.

It comes as new research reveals that one million dogs in the UK are overweight and almost a third of dog owners reduce the amount of time they spend walking their pet in the winter months.

Sports enthusiast Clare said: “When you have a dog you really will do anything and everything to make sure they stay healthy and get the exercise they need, no matter the weather.

“It was amazing to see so many wagging tails joining in the fun at Tatton Park.

Celebrity dog lover Clare Balding joins more than 400 people and 250 dogs for a winter walk at Tatton Park (Image: Pets at Home)

“You can’t underestimate how important the daily dog walk is for your dog but also for you, so I hope dog owners up and down the country will feel inspired to get out there this winter.”

Dr. Leigh-Anne Brown, practice owner and Veterinary Surgeon at Vets for Pets, said: “It was great to see so many people at our very first Winter Walkies event.

“Whilst it was a lot of fun it was also the chance to remind people why walking your dog regularly – come rain or shine – is the simplest, yet most important thing you can do to keep your dog a healthy weight for its breed and size.

“As the number of overweight dogs in the UK continues to rise, daily exercise this winter has never been so important.”