A greyhound rescue centre which has found homes for 600 dogs had its annual Christmas fair fundraiser in Salford’s Boothstown British Legion.

Makants Greyhound Rescue, a self-funded organisation that focuses on the rehoming of ex-racing greyhounds, was founded by Siobhan Hoppley.

She said: “We have been doing this for nearly nine years now. We’ve rehomed over 600 dogs.

“We have 21 kennels, so we can take 21 dogs at a time. They are all assessed before they go out so we can try and match a home to that dog.”

Image by Megan Nuttall
Happy Santa dog

The rescue has found the perfect homes for many ex-racing dogs such as long-time volunteer Nicola Tavernar and her hound Minnie

She explained: “I started volunteering two years ago, walking the dogs and helping in the shop

“I met Minnie in March this year and Siobhan just said perfect for you, I walked her a couple of times, put her on reserve and adopted her at the end of May.”

Image by Megan Nuttall
Nicola and Minnie

Christmas is a big time for the rescue as they hold many events in order to make enough money to fund the upkeep of the dogs. Wendy Draper who is one of the many involved in the rescue described the fundraising event.

Ms Draper said: “We do fund-raising events all year, because that’s the only way we get any money. We’ve done a Christmas fair probably for about eight years, here for about three or four years.

“It’s one of our biggest money-raising events, so we do this and a dog show in summer.

“The money goes towards absolutely everything. So it’s literally from the running costs of our kennels to vets’ bills, any treatment, flea treatment, worming treatment. When they come into kennels a lot of them, they are not vaccinated, they need dentals, they need neutering and spaying, a lot of them come in with injuries.”


The event was completely volunteer-run with stalls for both people and dogs alike. Volunteer Fiona Kelly makes baked treats such as cakes and biscuits for dogs.

Ms Kelly continued: “They are all different recipes, natural ingredients, so I use whole wheat flour, apple sauce unsweetened, peanut butter, cream cheese and I use colourings made from blueberries for the icings.”

Image by Megan Nuttall
Picture number 2 of the dog cake stall

For more information on Makants greyhound rescue centre in Tyldesley check its Facebook or get updates on its website.

Image by Megan Nuttall

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