A crisp winter's day drew a group of boxer dog owners and their pets to Gyllyngvase Beach in Falmouth recently for the Cornwall and South Devon Boxer Rescue's latest beach meet.

The call for people to join the charity on the beach was not limited to boxer owners so several other dog breeds were also represented and enjoyed running free on the sand, with some even venturing into the chilly waters for a swim.

The charity is dedicated to caring for unwanted and/or rescue boxer dogs and aims to re-home all dogs that come into its care - it never puts a healthy animal to sleep. It also makes sure all its dogs are given a health check, vaccinated and micro-chipped - which all costs money.

The charity also gives advice to anyone thinking of taking on a boxer dog and encourages the use of positive training methods.

The Cornwall and South Devon Boxer Rescue was founded in 2003 by the late John O’Brien and relies heavily on donations to care for its dogs. Its chair is Lynsey Pope of Camborne who is the head vet nurse at Companion Care vets in Truro, who is supported by a committee of volunteers.

The charity relies on fundraising and donations and at the Gyllyngvase beach meet, £55 was generated, which will be used towards meeting vets' bills.

Before Christmas, a further £24.95 was raised by shoppers at the Co-Op store in Falmouth where a collection tin had been left, and another £28.53 came from the Premier store and post office at Mabe, again donated by customers.

Anyone interested in supporting the charity, which offers membership for just £12 a year, should go to csdboxerrescue.org.uk, look up its Facebook page or email enquiries@csdboxerrescue.org.uk.