CHARITY workers in Burford will be in the dog house next week as they spend 24 hours in kennels to raise money for homeless and needy animals in Oxfordshire.

Staff and volunteers at Blue Cross in Shilton Road will live and sleep in the kennels for one day and night.

They want to raise as much money as possible to go towards a rehoming centre rebuild project, which is expected to cost about £2.5m.

Thanks to generous donations by supporters, the team is already halfway to the target.

Centre manager at Blue Cross, Jenna Martyn, is taking part in the kennel sleepover.

She said: “Our team is very excited about our refurbishment plans as it will make such a difference to the hundreds of pets that need our help every year.

“The kennel sleepover really will be a day in the life of our dogs and it should be a lot of fun.

“If anyone would like to support our event, we’d be so grateful.”

A total of 13 members of the Oxfordshire team will be putting on dog onesies before getting ready for the event tomorrow which starts at 8am.

As well as sleeping in the kennels overnight, they will be put through various challenges throughout the day, including copying dog agility tasks such as walking up ramps.

They will also be cared for by handlers who will take them out ‘on walks’ and give them food.

Building work at the centre is due to begin in December this year and Blue Cross hopes the refurbishment will be complete by late 2016.

Plans for the centre include new and bigger kennels, outside runs, and separate dog and cat isolation units for new arrivals and poorly pets.

There will also be dedicated puppy and kitten areas, new vet facilities and a refurbished reception area where new owners can meet pets looking for homes.

The Oxfordshire rehoming centre currently helps 900 dogs, cats and small animals every year, but when the new centre is open the charity will be able to double the number of pets it can help.

Earlier this year the Blue Cross in Burford launched an appeal to help rehome one pet an hour, by the end of 2015. Alongside the campaign staff encouraged the public to share a photo of themselves ‘paw bumping’ their pet on social media to show their support for pets not as lucky as their own.

You can sponsor the kennel sleepover fundraising event by visiting justgiving.com/feelingblueinthedoghouse.