Emmerdale star Gemma Atkinson opens dog training area at Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary

The Emmerdale star won £37,500 for the Edenfield centre, which she regularly visited as a child growing up, in December — £25,500 for helping to win the quiz show and £10,000 donated by pet insurance firm Animal Friends.

“It is an honour to open it and to help the animals,” said Gemma, aged 31, who is vice president of Bleakholt and has two dogs, Ollie and Norman.

“It means a lot to the staff and volunteers here and they all do an incredible job looking after the animals.

“They go above and beyond for the animals and I am only too happy to help.”

The new dog training area cost about £15,000 to build and covers 300 square metres and Gemma, from Bury, officially opened it at the sanctuary’s open day on Sunday.

Operations manager Stuart Murray said: “It has an enclosed space for the dogs to be trained and run around and it will be a huge benefit.

“It means dogs can interact with their handlers without distraction and dogs can be trained here — whether it’s by volunteers or owners.

“It is a facility we have needed for years and it’s great Gemma is here to open it.”

Dog behavioural trainer Gordon Salmon said: “I have waited years for this — it will make a huge difference. It will help the dogs with their agility, obedience and socialising and make a more all-rounded dog when they are adopted.”

Bleakholt holds open days four times a year and earn nearly £10,000 each time for the sanctuary which houses 90 dogs which have been handed in, up to 200 cats and also rabbits which they try to rehome — while goats, donkeys, pigs and horses can go there to live out their lives.

Bleakholt has a number of ongoing projects — it recently built a new pen for the equine stables and new pig shelters, funded thanks to Zen Internet in Rochdale.

Gemma and a team from Bleakholt are running the Manchester 10k for the sanctuary on May 22.

If you would like to sponsor them go to justgiving.com/BLEAKHOLT-ANIMAL-SANCTUARY