A walking challenge organised by the Street Paws charity has enlisted the support of a German Shepherd dog who plays Brandy in the Ricky Gervais Netflix hit ‘After Life’.

Street Paws is inviting supporters to walk, jog or dance 274,000 steps in the month of April to help fund its vital work.

Recent figures estimate that more than 274,000 people in England are homeless, and Street Paws supports rough sleepers across the north of England, helping them to take care of their beloved pets.

The charity is delighted to have celebrity support for the challenge from Brandy (real name Antilly) and owner Ashley Foster.

Michelle Southern, who founded the Street Paws charity in Newcastle in 2016, said: "It only takes a couple of steps to walk past one of the UK's 274,000 homeless people, and we hope that people will sign up for this challenge to help us support them, and their pets in need.

"It is six years since Street Paws began, and the pandemic has been a challenging time with little time for celebration. So we hope that April will be a month to reflect and raise funds, and also have some fun in the process.

"We are so happy that Antilly and Ashley are supporting Street Paws.

"Antilly's character Brandy in After Life really shows in a moving way how strong the bond between humans and dogs is, and that is just the same for the homeless people that we work with, and their treasured pets."

It costs just £25 to register for the challenge, and all participants receive a t-shirt to wear while they are out taking part. They also get access to an exclusive challenge Facebook group, and throughout the month there will be a range of prizes on offer for creative posts and activities.

Picture credits:

Antilly images – Ashley Foster/Animal News Agency 

Charity image – Street Paws/Animal News Agency