A DEDICATED fundraiser has been joined by her four-legged friend to raise nearly £1,500 for charity.

Catherine Alexander has collected more than £35,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support through everything from a head shave and coffee morning to an abseil and exhilarating zipwire challenge.

Throughout May, she laced up her walking boots and was joined by black Labrador Duke to cover 100 kilometres.

Fundraisers were given the choice of walking 50, 75 or 100 kilometres throughout the month with their dog.

Catherine, who runs Short Cuts on Haddington’s Market Street, said: “We rehomed Duke last March and he is fit and takes a lot of walks.

“I walk him all the time and I knew I could do the 100 kilometres quite easily.

“But I am quite lazy and do the same walks and I know how long they take.

“I got to have a snoop round the new houses and further round Haddington. I did the railway walk and things I have done before as well.

“It was quite nice to get out of the shop and get some fresh air.”

Macmillan Cancer Support is one of the largest British charities and provides specialist health care, information and financial support to people affected by cancer.

It also looks at the social, emotional and practical impact of cancer, and campaigns for better cancer care.

Walkers had May’s 31 days to complete the challenge but Catherine and Duke, of Chalybeate, reached the finish line within the first fortnight.

They doubled up and eventually raised £1,450 and covered 217 kilometres.