A dog-owning Wigan borough couple do their bit as pooches wag their way to £5,000 for poorly children
A Leigh couple were among those whose dogs took part in special challenge in aid of the area’s children’s hospice.
A pack of 20 determined pooches took on the dauting dare of walking 100km over the month of February, either through daily strolls or adventurous hikes through the hills, to raise money for Derian House.
And together, these four-legged fund-raisers raised an incredible £5,597 for the charity through the Top Dog challenge.
Chorley-based Derian House cares for more than 400 babies, children, young people and their families from across the North West, helping them to make the most of every moment.
He said: “Derian House means a lot to me and my family.
“My cousin used to go for many years until she passed away, but even after that, Derian House was still there to support our family.
"Me and my girlfriend Salenia love going for walks with Skye so we thought taking part in Top Dog would be perfect, and it makes sense to help Derian house as I've seen the amazing work that they do.
"We have been enjoying walking around our local park in Leigh, around Pennington Flash, and Rivington Pike.”
Though all dogs who participated deserves recogniton, some of these dogs gained special awards for their work.
Rolo, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, went home with the award for ‘FUR-thest Walked’ after walking 168km with owner Cheryl, and Teddy the Labradoodle was voted Picture Pawfect on social media.
Finally, MUTTS amount raised goes to German Shepherds Indi and Ava, both aged five, and their owner Donna, who brought in a dog-tastic £2,071.25.
Ellie Smith, community fund-raiser at Derian House, said: “Thank you to all of our furry fundraisers that took part in Top Dog for Derian House – and well done to the paw-tastic pups who won an award!
“It will cost £6m to run services at Derian House in 2026. We rely heavily on the generosity our local community – and their precious pups – to make sure we can continue to provide care for our families.”
To find out more about Derian House, visit: www.derianhouse.co.uk