THOUSANDS of pounds has been raised for a campaign helping to honour the eight million horses, donkeys and miles who died during the First World War.

Alastair Stewart OBE helped to raise £27,300 for equine charity Brooke’s Every Horse Remembered campaign at a gala dinner held in Hedlam Hall, near Darlington, on Friday night.

Guests at the dinner included Brooke patron and newscaster Mr Stewart, who gave a talk on his support for the charity and his love for equines.

He also hosted a charity auction, which included the £1,200 sale of a painting by North-East artist Stacey Moore, depicting miniature Shetland pony Little Alf with a poppy.

Little Alf and his owner, bestselling children’s author Hannah Russell were appointed Every Horse Remembered ambassadors at the beginning of 2018 and have been raising awareness of the campaign throughout the year. Hannah was in attendance at the gala.

Other guests included Brooke CEO Petra Ingram, Blackpool donkeys, Shane and Cochise, who were on hand to greet guests at the start of the evening, and Take That tribute band Rule the World, who closed out the night with a set of the Manchester band’s greatest hits.

Senior regional fundraising officer, Caroline Robertson, said: “The dinner was a truly unforgettable occasion and we are thrilled to have raised such a large amount to help even more working equines around the world.

"Thank you to everyone who made this evening possible, from our dedicated volunteers to our patron, Alastair Stewart.

"Events such as this are vital to furthering Brooke’s work and we’re looking forward to seeing what we can do next.”