30/10/2025
A new festive fair at Springhead in Fontmell Magna will bring vegan food, crafts and gifts to the Shaftesbury area this November - all to help street dogs in Sri Lanka.
Elina Warburton, founder of the charity Lucas Helps Dogs, has arranged the event on Sunday 23rd November from 10am to 4pm. The fair will raise money for her volunteer-run organisation that provides spaying, neutering, emergency treatment and rabies vaccination for stray animals.
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“Lucas was my rescue dog,” said Elina. “When he died, I promised to save at least one more and I’ve saved thousands now.”
The charity operates in Hikkaduwa, southern Sri Lanka, where six million stray dogs live among a population of twenty million people. Veterinary care is often unaffordable, and Elina hopes to change attitudes through education. “We’re developing a school programme to teach kindness to animals, spaying, vaccinating and feeding responsibly,” she said. “We want change to come from within.”
The Springhead fair will feature vegan cakes, food stalls and sustainable gifts. “There’s no leather, no animal products,” Elina said. “We’ll have pizza made with vegan cheese, kombucha, fossil art, watercolours and handmade dog collars and leads. It’s about showing that beautiful things can be made without using animals.”
She expects visitors from across Dorset. “People travel for these events,” she said. “We’ve had vegan fairs in Bournemouth and Dorchester, and Fontmell’s the perfect venue to host a bigger one.”
