Lovable Lottie the Cavapoochon has been walking all over Lancashire, along with pupils from the six schools she visits, in the Top Dog challenge for Derian House Children’s Hospice.
The goal of the four-legged fundraiser is to rack up 100km throughout February – equivalent to two miles per day – while raising a minimum of £100 for Derian House.
Two-year-old Lottie’s fundraising efforts brought in £1,184 for the children’s hospice, earning her the prestigious Top Dog award for ‘Mutts Amount Raised.’
The award for ‘FUR-thest Walked’ went to whippets Skye and Violet who walked an impressive 201.8km, and Springer Spaniel Maggie was voted ‘Picture Pawfect’.
Lottie the Cavapoochon visits six Lancashire schools in the Learning Together Trust, and pupils from each have been taking turns to walk the pup around school fields as well as taking her on longer walks in Wigan and Accrington. Lottie’s favourite treat after a long walk is a cocktail sausage or a juicy piece of chicken.
“I loved walking Lottie and even more because it was for charity.” Said Scarlet Bretherton, Year 4 at Canon Sharples C.E. Primary School and Nursery in Wigan.
“We really enjoyed walking Lottie and helping her complete the challenge,” said Holly and Hamza, both Year 6 at Accrington Benjamin Hargreaves C.E. Primary School.
“It was a great experience and we were really pleased to raise so much money for Derian House, which we think is an amazing charity. We also really enjoyed working with our Trust family of schools and meeting other children, who were helping Lottie as well.”
To celebrate Lottie’s final Top Dog walk, two children from each of the Trust schools came together to walk 5km – which included finding their way through the maze and enjoying an ice cream.
Mr. Fletcher, Head of Canon Sharples C.E. Primary School and Nursery in Wigan, said: “It was delightful to come together as a Trust family to complete our fundraiser for Derian House at Worden Park. It has been a great opportunity to talk to our children about the work Derian House does for children and families.”
Lottie visits St. Wilfrid’s C.E. Primary Academy (Standish), Canon Sharples C.E. Primary School and Nursery (Wigan), St. David Haigh and Aspull C.E. Primary School (Wigan), Adlington St. Paul’s C.E. Primary School (Lancashire), Hesketh-with-Becconsall All Saints C.E. Primary School (Lancashire), and Accrington Benjamin Hargreaves C.E. Primary School (Lancashire).
Ellie Smith, Community Fundraiser at Derian House, said: “We love Lottie the dog! Well done to everyone at the Learning Together Trust who got involved. 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 £6 million to run services at Derian House in 2025. 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.”
Derian House, based in Chorley, cares for more than 400 babies, children, young people and their families from across the North West. Find out more: www.derianhouse.co.uk
Find out more about Derian House: www.derianhouse.co.uk/events
