A WALLINGFORD schoolboy and his dog won bronze at a European dog agility championship just months after having their training gear stolen.

Wallingford School pupil Rory Tidmarsh, 14, and Border Collie Sonic competed at the European Open Junior Agility Championships in Roosendaal, Holland, this month.

They missed out on silver by just 0.07 seconds in the Large Jumping category.

The medal comes just months after their preparation were dealt a major blow when their equipment was stolen from a field in Harwell.

The incident in March – just days after their third call-up to Team GB – provoked a huge community response, as locals chipped in to help replace the dog agility kit with £1,600 in donations.

Mum Jo Tidmarsh was particularly keen to thank Wallingford 1155, Wallingford Corn Exchange and Wallingford School.

She said: “This success could not have been achieved without such fantastic community support.”

In total, the Aston Upthorpe pair competed in two individual and two team events, with Rory being one of the youngest in the age classification.

He said: “I am really grateful to everyone who helped with the fundraising when our equipment was stolen, it was totally unexpected and helped so much.

“The competition was phenomenal, there was an amazing atmosphere with everyone on our team supporting us. I am really proud of Sonic, a third place was absolutely amazing. We have worked so hard together.”