Understandably it was the dogs who stole the show when Allen Parton, founder of Hounds for Heroes, arrived at the Sainsbury’s store in Alton to receive a cheque for £2,400 for the charity.

He set up the charity in memory of his former assistance dog Endal, who could operate a cash point, fetch a mobile phone and retrieve fallen objects among the skills he could perform for his disabled wheelchair-bound owner.

Sainsbury’s has chosen Hounds for Heroes as their charity of the year and it was public relations ambassador Debby Bridger who presented the cheque to Mr Parton, who himself came with his own two dogs, Rookie and EJ (Endal junior), who received a lot of attention from the crowd of shoppers.

He thanked both the store and those who had donated to the charity and said the money would help them train more assistance dogs for both military and civilian men and women who are disabled.

The dogs are trained, among other skills, to take washing out of a machine, fetch medication, pick up the phone, and fetch shoes and slippers.

This week, Mr Parton is expected to attend the Butts School in Alton to receive a £130 cheque for the Ramsdean-based charity which was raised by carols singers.