They say a dog is a man's best friend and a group of four-legged pooches won over shoppers when they took part in an event to promote the Pets as Therapy (Pat) charity on Saturday.

Among them was three-year-old west Highland terrier Hamish, who was nominated for a Croydon Champions award for his work at Mayday Hospital.

Hamish is one of around 5,000 registered Pat dogs in the UK. He joined some of his canine pals in North End to raise awareness of the charity, which celebrated its 21st anniversary this year.

Pat dogs make regular visits to residential homes, hospitals, children's homes and schools, bringing happiness and comfort to scores of people.

More than £800 was raised in donations on the day and the Croydon group hopes to have raised £1,000 in total for the charity with money from its sponsors.