So many of us these days spend our working day in an office, on the computer or in meetings. Add to that the coffee, the biscuits, the stale air and the pressure and you can see why so many people fall ill so quickly or just feel grotty a lot of the time.

The solution has a cold wet nose!

But, I hear you cry, that is all very well for you, Slater; you work from home and already have a dog!

Indeed I do, but I have also just discovered how you too can get the health benefits of taking a dog for a regular walk, even if you don't have the time or the space or the patience to actually be owned by one.

The answer is the Cinnamon Trust, (don't ask me where they got the name).

The trust provides help for people who are elderly or terminally ill but who have pets....so you can "borrow" a dog (yes, they also have cats, goats, and a plethora of other critters in need of support, but we are really mostly concerned with walkies, so it is dogs) and take it for a walk.  Not only do you get the benefit of free, enforced, healthy fresh-air exercise, you also get a cold, wet nose in the crotch and the gratitude of someone whose need is greater than yours! Result.

I walk Lucy and Storm, a delightful pair of batty CKCSs whose owners are now unable to take the girls out.  Between two walkers, the girls get a minimum of three walks a week.

The trust is always looking for volunteers, they are very professional, taking up references before taking on a volunteer and providing you with insurance and so on....so please do consider offering your time and muscles to the Cinnamon Trust

Rus