Greater Manchester’s leading dog rescue centre has shared a heartwarming success story of two of its former residents.
Dogs 4 Rescue – a semi-rural independent dog sanctuary based on Barton Moss Road – is known for its unique “cage free” approach to animal welfare, and carries out vital work across Greater Manchester to ensure all rescued dogs are socialised in a healthy, relaxed and happy foster home environment, while waiting for their forever families.
The centre has completely changed the lives of countless canines over the years, and has plenty of success stories.
It’s not just the lives of local dogs that Dogs 4 Rescue plays a part in, though. Owner Emma Billington is passionate about animal welfare right across the continent – and has also rescued many pups from other European countries over the years.
Many street dogs from Europe have had their lives transformed under Dogs 4 Rescue’s care – but there’s been no case quite as heartwarming as the story of two former residents’ recent role in their new owner’s wedding day.
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Taking to Facebook to share the story, Dogs4Rescue said: “Many of you will remember the photo of [rescue dog] Lara in the pound in Spain.
“She’d been waiting for her chance for five whole years.
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“Her transport to us was paid for by a legacy donation, so it is even more poignant to share these happy photos today. After adopting Lara a while back, and six re-arranged weddings later, Ashley and Johnny got to have their big day with Lara as flower girl and Dom as their page boy.
“Lara is loved beyond belief now and the look of love in these photos says it all.
“Page boy handsome Dom is also a D4R rescue.”
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Dogs 4 Rescue then went on to congratulate the newlyweds and thank them once again “for making Lara feel safe and happy”.
“We get criticised a lot for rescuing from abroad but this is the reality of the alternative – a life of misery in a concrete cell.
“And that is why for us, love has no borders.”
How brilliant is this? We honestly cannot think of a more uplifting local story.
News of Lara and Dom’s roles in their owners’ wedding has understandably touched the hearts of thousands of people across Greater Manchester on Facebook.
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The update comes after Dogs 4 Rescue successfully bought Clough Bottom Farm near Accrington; turning the land into a state-of-the-art rehabilitation facility for street dogs following several months of fundraising towards the latter end of 2020.
The not-for-profit company said the current Manchester site will continue to be used as a re-homing centre, while the new Accrington farm will be used to house dogs during rehabilitation in preparation for adoption.
Dogs 4 Rescue is known for its unique “cage free” approach to animal welfare / Image: Rhi Scotchbrook
Are you keen to help Dogs 4 Rescue continue its essential work across Greater Manchester? Please consider donating whatever you can via the website, and for large donations or offers of corporate support, you email Emma Billington at [email protected] or ring 07412361769.
Boyzone to reunite for exclusive New Year’s Eve special on the BBC
Danny Jones
2025 has very much been the year of the comeback – be it Oasis, Britpop fashion in general, or short bobs and pixie cuts – so it’s only fitting that we round off the calendar with one last reunion, as throwback boyband Boyzone are set to feature on a TV special on the BBC this New Year’s Eve.
Turns out ‘All That I Need’ to make a year memorable is a load of 1990s nostalgia.
Now, obviously, despite plenty of other music names enjoying a second renaissance over the past 12 months or so, nothing is ever going to be quite as big as the Oasis Live ’25 reunion tour.
However, if you asked us to guess which group from the era were also going to reunite this year back in January, there’s not a chance we would’ve said Boyzone.
Boyzone are telling us about coming back together for one final run in their most unforgettable concerts yet 🎤
After news first began circulating earlier this week, it has now been confirmed that musician turned presenter Ronan Keating will be getting back together with two of his former bandmates.
Joining the 48-year-old for ‘Ronan & Friends: A New Year’s Eve Party’, ex-Boyzone members Keith Duffy and Shane Lynch are part of an exciting live music lineup.
Other names include actor and singer, Shona McGarty, who recently starred on season 25 of I’m A Celeb, as well as fellow 90s pop artist Louise Redknapp and singer-songwriter Calum Scott.
The exclusive reunion comes after the success of the recently aired Boyzone: No Matter What documentary show.
Spread across three parts on Sky, the docuseries (named after their hit song from 1998) looks back on the career and journey up the charts back in their heyday, all the way up to the present. After seemingly striking a chord with fans and the lads themselves, it looks like they’re not done after all…
Yes, not only is the festive TV special going to see three of the original members performing alongside each other again, but
Here’s hoping that turns into a springboard for something even bigger, and we get a Manchester arena show sometime soon.
As for the programme itself, ‘Ronan & Friends: A New Year’s Eve Party’ will be broadcast on BBC One and made available on BBC iPlayer from Wednesday, 31 December 2025.
One in 10 Brits are fired or disciplined after their work’s Christmas party, new survey finds
Emily Sergeant
We’re in peak office Christmas party season right now.
With just a week to go until the big day itself is here, many businesses across the UK are treating their staff to night out to celebrate both the festive season and all of the hard work they have been putting in throughout the year… and as you can expect, these are usually quite eventful gatherings, shall we say.
But now, a survey by has shed light on just how ‘eventful’ they actually are, as a new survey has revealed that, apparently, one in ten Brits face some sort of disciplinary action or dismissal due to their behaviour at Christmas parties.
The study was conducted by After Drink, and included more than 2,000 participants.
During the research, it was highlighted that 89% of employees admitted to drinking alcohol at these events, Lad Bible reports – with 65% of these confessing that they drank “excessively”.
One in 10 Brits get fired or disciplined after their work’s Christmas party / Credit: Kraken Images | Mimi Thian (via Unsplash)
There are a multitude of incidents which could lead to disciplinary action in the workplace nowadays, but according to the survey, some of the common reasons following festive celebrations with colleagues included inappropriate comments (23%) and even getting into fights (21%).
16% of these incidents were because of drug use during the event, while inappropriate interactions with colleagues accounted for 14%.
Some of the legal reasons you can be fired from your place of work after a Christmas party include gross misconduct, drunken behaviour, and fighting of any kind.
Despite all these risks, however, Christmas parties still remain as popular as always, and a whopping 79% of respondents said they are planning to attend theirs this year.
Emily Sergeant -
18th June 2021 
