Spitalfields Market hosted 6,000 canines of all shapes and sizes from across England for its third annual Paw Pageant on Monday.

Newham Recorder: Dogs in fancy dress join the Paw Pageant catwalk at Spitalfields market.Dogs in fancy dress join the Paw Pageant catwalk at Spitalfields market. (Image: Archant)

The programme – consisting of competition categories such as “Dog’s got talent” and “Radiant Rescue” – attracted hundreds of onlookers despite the weather.

Aside from giving dog fanatics a chance to see great danes dressed in hats and dip-dyed chihuahuas, the pageant raised awareness and money for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, a leading animal rehoming centre.

The audience were treated to a fashion show in which 11 dogs were accompanied on a catwalk by six models sporting brands such as Hackett, Jigsaw and NW3.

Sophie Wood, marketing and social media manager for Spitalfields Market, said: “There’s not much else like it in London, it’s an event where dogs and dog owners can come together and raise money.”

*About the author: Budding sports reporter Shingi Mararike has been given an opportunity of a lifetime after being selected for the News Academy Summer School.

The 18-year-old from East Ham only collected his A-level results a few weeks ago yet is now rubbing shoulders with top journalists at The Sun, The Sunday Times and The Times to get the inside track.

He beat hundreds of applicants for a place on the inaugural six-day course which started on Sunday.

Activities will include opportunities to practise his reporting and interviewing skills before putting together a paper with fellow candidates which will be judged by the editor of The Sun.

Founder of sports blog The Commentary Box, he dreams of becoming a sports writer for The Guardian. “When it [sports writing]is done well it is almost like it paints a picture of the event – and the thought of doing that has always really appealed to me,” he said.

See the picture gallery on the right for more photos.

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