COMEDIAN Dave Spikey will be announcing the name of a guide dog puppy after a the new branch of a charity raised £5,000 to train its first one.

The funnyman, best known for playing compere Jerry St Clair in Phoenix Nights, is sparing the time from his busy tour schedule to announce the name of the new guide dog at a special event in Chorley town centre on Saturday.

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Dave, who has had a close association with the Guide Dog Association charity, admits he is a bit of a soft touch when it comes to animals, so he was happy to spare the time.

He said: “Grace Jackson from Chorley Guide Dog Association is a good friend of mine.

“I’m very much involved in animal welfare.

“This great charity is not funded by the Government – which seems ridiculous – so it seemed a natural thing for me to be involved in.”

Dave, who has lived in Chorley for 25 years, is looking forward to the naming event on Saturday.

Later that night he will be appearing in Wakefield with his Punchlines show.

He said: “I’ll be dashing in and dashing out of the guide dog event, but it’s just great to be involved in it. I think it’s a fantastic idea. It should be a great day.”

Grace Jackson, organiser of the puppy naming ceremony, said: “We only started raising money for a puppy for the Chorley community seven or eight months ago and already we’ve managed to raise the £5,000 we need “Naming a puppy this way is to thank the Chorley community for all their generosity. Funding a puppy will change the life of a visually impaired person, which is something to be proud of.

“When we’ve been going around, giving talks to schools and other organisations, we asked them what they think the dog should be called. There was a clear favourite which will be revealed on the day.”

Local singer Helen May, performing with guitarist John Watkins, will kick-start the event before Dave unveils the name of the puppy in the presence of the Mayor Marion Lowe. The event will be on Saturday October 3, from 11 am, at the entrance to the undercover market on Cleveland Street.