Former WGS student goes extra nautical mile for homeless hounds

Charlotte Sturmayr has been inspired to take on the watery challenge by her own dog, eight-year-old German Spitz, Tushka, who will be keeping her paws on solid ground when Charlotte and her five-strong crew set off from Southampton across the English Channel to Cherbourg in France.  

Charlotte says: “I and my husband, Oliver, welcomed Tushka into our lives just before we got married at Alveley Village Church in 2017, and we absolutely adore her. She has a lovely life. My husband is a general manager for Sheraton Hotels, so we are currently based between England and Austria, and we always drive so she doesn’t have to go on a plane!  

“Unfortunately, not all dogs are as fortunate as Tushka so I wanted to do something that will hopefully really make a difference to dogs in need, who all deserve to live wonderful lives.”  

Charlotte, now 37, attended Worfield C of E Primary and Oldbury Wells School in Bridgnorth before attending Wolverhampton Grammar School. She then headed off to study Russian at University College London and now works as a consultant. But although she and Oliver travel the world, they always return to Shropshire when they are in the UK to meet up with friends.  

“Shropshire is my favourite place on earth,” says Charlotte. “It’s always lovely to come home and although we spend a lot of time away, I still definitely consider it home. The fact that we have Dogs Trust Shrewsbury on our doorstep makes it even more special to be raising money for Dogs Trust.”  

Charlotte started sailing just over a year ago and holds a skipper licence and powerboat licence. She will be co-skippering the 41-foot Beneteau Oceanis for the weekend adventure in May, sailing 140 nautical miles from Southampton to Cherbourg and then around the Channel Islands before returning to Southampton. 

Assistant Manager at Dogs Trust Shrewsbury, Sophie Ashton, says: “This is the first time we’ve had anyone take to the open waves to raise money for us! We are so grateful as without the support of people like Charlotte, we couldn’t do what we do for our dogs and provide additional services to dog owners such as our free Behaviour Support Line. 

“I understand that if all goes well, she is already looking into the possibility of going further afield, potentially sailing from Miami to the Bahamas in December, so that would be a lovely Christmas gift for our dogs!”  

If you would like to support Charlotte and the dogs at Dogs Trust, please go to events.dogstrust.org.uk/charlottesturmayr  

To find out more about all the dogs at Dogs Trust Shrewsbury, and how you can support them, please go to dogstrust.org.uk