Congratulations to Lancashire Teaching Hospitals’ Pets as Therapy dog, Dr Riggs on winning a BBC Lancashire ‘Make a Difference’ award!
Sussex Spaniel, Dr Riggs and his proud owner, Linzi Bannister scooped the award at a recent awards ceremony held at Lancaster Town Hall. They were shortlisted for the award from over 1,000 entries in the animal category for the brilliant volunteer work they do at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital.
The pair have been volunteering their services at the hospital since the beginning of last year. They started volunteering on the wards after Linzi’s own experience as a patient at the hospital, where she received chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment.
Dr Riggs was nominated for the amazing support he and his owner, Linzi provide to patients and staff on the wards at Chorley.
Sarah Allen, Volunteers Manager at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, said: “I am delighted to see Dr Riggs and Linzi win a BBC Radio Lancashire ‘Make a Difference’ award. They both deserve to be recognised for the brilliant volunteer work they do supporting the patients and staff on our wards. Our colleagues look forward to their weekly visit from Dr Riggs and the work they do really does make a difference.”
Dr Riggs and his proud dog mum, Linzi are regular and popular visitors to several wards at Chorley including Leyland Ward, the Breast Care Unit and Rookwood A, amongst many others. They represent the Pets as Therapy Charity and visit the hospital each Wednesday for two hours, meeting and greeting patients and staff.
Commenting on the award, Linzi, said: “I am super proud of Dr Riggs and we are thrilled to win this award. I love the work we do – and so does Dr Riggs. He gets lots of treats and fuss from the patients and staff and I smile the whole time we come to the hospital.
“Dr Riggs was a real support to me when I was undergoing treatment and he’s great with the patients and staff at Chorley. This award is great recognition for the Pets as Therapy Charity and the brilliant work they do supporting local hospitals. Sometimes, we meet people who have just had some bad news or those that are missing their own pets and family during their hospital stay, and he can be a welcome distraction for them. The work he and other therapy dogs do really does makes a difference to people’s health and wellbeing.”
Pets as Therapy (PAT) visits offer fantastic benefits for both patients and colleagues – helping to boost mood, start conversations, and bring a little brightness to the everyone’s day. Given the difference that therapy dogs make to patient health and wellbeing, the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals’ Volunteers Service has recently welcomed some new Pets as Therapy volunteers, bringing the total number of PAT teams across the Trust to seven.
In addition to Dr Riggs and his owner, Linzi, the PAT teams are available for ward visits at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital and Royal Preston Hospital. Clinical teams can request a visit for their ward or department through the Trust’s Volunteers team.
To find out more about Dr Riggs’ Award and all of this year’s BBC Radio Lancashire ‘Make a Difference’ awards winners, visit the BBC Radio Lancashire website.
