A popular sled dog rally, held annually in the Highlands, will go ahead this year after being saved in time to celebrate its 35th anniversary.
Organisers of the Aviemore Sled Dog Rally worked “exceptionally hard” to attract sufficient sponsors to enable the event – which costs around £15,000 to host – to take place.
They were left with just two months to find financial support after being informed by a previous major sponsor that they were pulling out.
Pete Jones, a sales manager with Delta Caravans International, has been competing as a “musher” at the event for the last 18 years and was asked to use his sales experience to attract new sponsors.
He said: “As it’s the 35th year the event has been running, it would have been a shame to not see it continue .
“I have been getting a lot of local support for the event and have managed to pull in some good sponsors to enable the rally to go ahead.”
From an original entry of 12 teams in 1984, the race is now the largest of its kind in the UK, with over 1,000 sled dogs and up to 250 mushers.
The proceedings feature teams of between two and eight dogs pulling their musher on a sled around a four to seven-mile trail.
There are high hopes there will be snow at ground level this year, but the event still goes ahead even if the white stuff doesn’t materialise.
Instead of racing on sled, mushers compete using a three-wheeled rig that looks like a tricycle without a seat, or a four-wheeled rig for the eight-dog teams.
There are eight adult classes and two children’s classes, and mushers range from just eight years old to over 60.
Along with the Siberian Huskies, race dogs include Alaskan Malamutes, Samoyeds, Greenland Dogs and Canadian Eskimo Dogs.
Mr Jones, who travels from Lincolnshire to compete, added: “The event has been a crowd pleaser for many years and spectators flock in their hundreds to meet the teams.
“We have been so lucky to have our 35th anniversary race sponsored by CSJ specialist feeds, Leucillin, and Photizo light therapy.
“To celebrate this, we have produced a special one-off hoodie for all competitors.
“Now all we are hoping for is snow, so we can have an anniversary race on sleds.“
