WITH her glossy fair hair and large dark eyes, you can see how this pretty pooch came by the name of Twiggy. And like her namesake, this young star is destined for big things.

For the eight-week old Golden Retriever puppy has been selected as a new assistance dog for local charity Woofability which was set up Jenny Clarke and her husband Andy for people with disabilities.

Twiggy was bought with money raised by staff and customers at the Marks & Spencer Bournemouth store and named after the iconic sixties model following a Name The Puppy competition.

When the supermodel heard about ‘Puppy Twiggy’ she agreed to become a patron of the charity which was launched in 2009.

“I am delighted to be able to support such a wonderful charity,” she told the Echo.

“Assistance dogs make such a difference to the lives of disabled people. I am also sponsoring Boggle, a gorgeous Golden Retriever puppy and look forward to the day when he is fully trained and ready to meet his new partner.”

Jenny, co-founder of Woofability and a wheelchair user herself following a work accident 28 years ago, says she doesn’t know how she would cope without her assistance dog Bubba.

“An assistance dog helps to make life easier around the house but the most important benefits are companionship and independence,” she said.

But it’s not just practical support – these clever canines also provide emotional and social support too.

“The bond between a dog and owner can be very deep because you rely on them for so many things. It’s almost as though they can read your mind at times,” said Jenny who lives in Ferndown.

“When I used to go out shopping on my own nobody spoke to me but since I’ve had an assistance dog, everybody wants to say hello. It can take me a while to do my shopping but I don’t mind so much now as I’ve made so many friends.”

Jenny set up Woofability to help meet the needs of people with disabilities across Dorset and the New Forest.

“We are aiming to have 200 dogs in the community within a few years or more if we can get wonderful people like the staff and customers at Marks & Spencer Bournemouth to support us.”

The team at the Bournemouth store hosted collections, mufti days and quiz nights we well as inviting the charity volunteers in-store to assist shoppers with their bag packing to raise the necessary funds.

Store manager Danny Ormensher said: “We’re delighted to have worked with Woofability to adopt Twiggy and look forward to helping with future fund-raising. We’d also like to thank our customers for their support.”

Puppy Twiggy will be placed with a partner in the Bournemouth area once she is two years old.

Jenny added: “Donors really appreciate the fact that their generosity will result in a local person benefiting from an assistance dog which they have contributed to and they will be able to see the partnership in action in their local community. We look forward to the day when Twiggy will visit the Bournemouth store fully trained and help her new partner look for their latest outfit.”