Watch: Flipping great as 'dolphin' meets shoppers at Merry Hill shopping centre

Visitors to a shopping centre this weekend may have been confronted by a dolphin, but there's a story behind his flipping great appearance.

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Danni the Dolphin was on hand to greet bank holiday shoppers at Merry Hill and raise money for a worthwhile cause.

He was born out of the recreation of Kingswinford-based Dolphin Lifts which went into administration last year, but has now been helped by businessmen Scott Haywood and Lukas Schlenker, the co-founders of Pace Group which employs nearly 200 staff in the Sandwell borough and wider Black Country.

Danni the Dolphin met shoppers at the Merry Hill Centre this weekend In the blue suit is: Mike Taylor and in the body warmer is: Jason Goddard.

The duo managed to save most of the jobs at Dolphin and re-launched the company, marketing Stiltz Homelifts which has been a success and seen it thriving this year.

Danni was launched as the mascot of the parent Dolphin group and was on hand with a charity bucket at Merry Hill over the Easter weekend to raise money for the Dudley Stroke Association.

Spokesman for the company Jason Goodlad said Scott, who was born in the Black Country and Lukas wanted to give something back to the area the company was serving.

Danni the Dolphin was out in force at the Merry Hill Centre this weekend In the blue suit is Dolphin managing director o Dolphin Lifts Mike Taylor and in the body warmer is head of marketing and media Jason Goodlad

He said: "Dudley Stroke Association is a small charity with a small team but do vital work in the community so to launch this initiative of Danni the Dolphin who acts as the company mascot we thought it would be good for them to benefit.

"The company is doing well now in tandem with the other businesses in the Pace Group, most of which are in the Sandwell and Black Country area and we thought it would be nice to have a mascot to go out and meet kids and families and be present and visible in the community,

A total of £200 was raised on Friday and Saturday and Jason said Danni would be out and about again around the area on other weekends and they would also be donating five-per-cent off stair lift sales over the next two weeks to the charity.