A WHEELCHAIR user said she will be expecting people to 'do a double take' when she pulls a life-sized stuffed dog in a wheelbarrow – all for a good cause.
Jean Crosbie, who has multiple sclerosis (MS), wanted to get out of the house to raise money for MS-UK - an organisation that has helped her.
The 78-year-old is doing the big purple dog walk challenge for the charity around Tarn Hows next month.
Jean, from Wray, near Hawkshead, will be in her mobility scooter and her dog will be following behind in wheelbarrow.
She heard the charity was running the challenge but she can neither walk nor did she have a dog. However her carer had previously given her a life-sized dog called 'Raichie' from a store in Ambleside.
Raichie had been used to advertise products in the shop and Jean's carer spotted him with a sign saying that he was 'looking for a good home.'
Jean said that people often 'do a double take' when they see Raichie - and that real-life dogs bark at him thinking he is one of their own.
There will be a QR code on the back of Jean's wheelchair so walkers will be able to donate easily.
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She has already had a test run in Hawkshead and raised £130.
"It seemed to make a lot of other people happy, a lot of people wanted to talk to me. I thought right - I will definitely do Tarn Hows."
Jean is still figuring out how she will get to Tarn Hows from her home. She has a car available to her that she can get into and then be driven somewhere but she is not sure how she will fit in the wheelbarrow and the dog.
She is planning to do her walk in the early and late May bank holiday weekends when it will be busy.
MS-UK provides information and emotional support to 'empower' people with MS. Jean said that she is still in touch with people she met during a mindfulness session put on by the charity, and she participates in online fitness classes designed for people with disabilities.
Visit www.justgiving.com/campaign/ms-uk-dog-walk to donate
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