Following the announcement in last month’s Kennel Gazette of the historic agreement to build a permanent venue for canine activity at Stoneleigh, work has now begun on turning this long-held Kennel Club ambition into a reality.

Once completed, the project will result in a purpose-built building in the heart of central England, which will be used as an educational training and activity centre. It is expected that the new centre will host a range of events ranging from Kennel Club licensed dog shows to dog training and Good Citizen Dog Scheme and Safe and Sound meetings, as well as offering meeting rooms.

As the photos on this page show, construction is already well under way on the structure of the building, with walls and flooring beginning to take shape. Work is also being undertaken to decide on the style of the internal fixtures and fittings for development once the initial building process is completed. It is planned that the reception area and meeting rooms will reflect the look of the Kennel Club’s own offices in London to help give the venue a strong visual identity.

There may not be any plug sockets in place as of yet, never mind computers, but the Kennel Club is making sure that it is one step ahead when it comes to IT requirements in the new centre. Staff members are liaising with their counterparts at Stoneleigh Park to ensure that event bookings can be organised efficiently, so that there will no disappointment caused by double bookings.

To ensure that there is a demand for the great facilities which Stoneleigh will provide when the building is ready to open its doors to the dog-loving public, work has also begun on producing the necessary marketing literature to attract show societies to use the venue. A pricing policy is currently being devised and this will be communicated as soon as it is ready.

Kennel Club General Committee member and Crufts Chairman, Eric Smethurst, visited the site recently to see the project’s development for himself. “I was amazed to see how much progress has been made in such a short time since the signing of contracts,” he said. “Turning what used to be a typical agricultural showground building into a Kennel Club show venue is a difficult task, but it is clear that the current building site will become a first class venue of which we can all be proud.”

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Dog Showing 

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