Brits love their tea as much as their pets

Dogs of all shapes and sizes were on their best behaviour today while ‘taking tea’ at the prestigious Oxo Tower restaurant on London’s South Bank to celebrate the start of the UK’s biggest Tea Party in aid of needy pets.

The lucky pooches enjoyed a spot of afternoon tea ‘doggy style’ at the top London restaurant in aid of the thousands of sick, injured and homeless pets cared for by The Blue Cross every year. 

A fun event to raise money for pets

Almost a thousand animal-lovers have signed up to support The Blue Cross by holding their own Tea Party, on or around Friday 16 May, in homes, offices, schools and even police stations across the country. The event has also taken off worldwide, with Blue Cross Tea Parties being held in Italy and Japan.

Caroline Powley, nurse manager at The Blue Cross animal hospital in Victoria, London, said: "Brits love their tea and their pets, so this is a really simple way of bringing the two together. Just seven cups of tea will pay for the cost of providing a lifesaving drip for a poorly pet in one of our animal hospitals."

Last year, the first Blue Cross Tea Party raised over £30,000 for the charity, thanks to supporters like Karen Sheard, who held a tea party at her hair salon called ‘Skizzers’ in Grimsby. She said: "Last year’s Tea Party was really good fun. We all love animals, and it was good to raise money for something a bit different. There was a great atmosphere in the salon and we all had a bit of a laugh. The customers responded really well and some even brought in their own cakes for us."

Tea Party survey

In the last few months, we have been finding out just how passionate Brits are about drinking tea. Our online survey has revealed that our craving for the national beverage follows us all around the world. When people were asked to name the strangest place they had enjoyed a cup of tea, the top five answers included:

1. In a tree
2. On top of Ben Nevis
3. 300 meters down a salt mine
4. In a Bedouin tent in the Sahara Desert
5. At the Ministry of Sound night club

When asked who their dream tea party guest would be, the top choice was Johnny Depp, followed by George Clooney and Angelina Jolie. When it comes to the way in which Brits drink their tea, most men admitted to slurping or gulping it down, whereas women regarded themselves as ‘sippers’. A quarter of participants also revealed that they had thrown a party especially for their pet.

View coverage of the tea party launch on ITV News

Visit The Blue Cross Tea Party website

14 May 2008