West Haddon primary school children raise money for charity Guide Dogs, after their families give homes to two of the charity’s special dogs
Three primary school children from Northamptonshire have raised £1200 for sight loss charity Guide Dogs, after being inspired by the charity’s Puppy Appeal and their love of dogs.
Oliver Robertson, aged 9, and Rhys Jones, aged 10, who have given homes to a guide dog dad and a guide dog mum, and Beatrix Sheldon, aged 10, organised a fundraising day at their school, West Haddon Primary School, on 18 October.
The day included a donation for wearing non-school uniform (woofti-day) and a bake sale with pawprint cupcakes.
Oliver and Rhys’ families volunteer as Breeding Dog Volunteers for Guide Dogs. Oliver’s family have given a home to guide dog dad Ollie, and Rhys’ family have given a home to guide dog mum Lola, who’s just had a litter of nine guide dog puppies.
Oliver said: “I really enjoyed fundraising for Guide Dogs with all my friends at school.
“Ollie came to live with us when he was a puppy, as my parents volunteered as Puppy Raisers at first.
“He then got selected to become a guide dog dad, which meant he could live with us full-time.
“The best thing about living with Ollie is giving him lots of cuddles and taking him for lovely walks.”
Ollie is a 21-month-old black Labrador, who will hopefully father his first guide dog puppies in the new year. He lives with Oliver’s family permanently, with Guide Dogs covering essential costs.
Rhys said: “Our fundraising day at school was really good and it’s great that our friends and teachers have been able to learn more about Guide Dogs.
“Guide dog mum Lola lives with us full-time, and we’ve looked after her puppies too when she’s had them. “She’s just had her last litter of nine puppies, and they are really cute.
“Lola is a really special part of our family and I love it when she has her pups - it’s so nice to see them grow and go on to change lives.”
Guide dog mum Lola is a five-year-old Golden Retriever who lives with Rhys’ family permanently, with essential costs covered by Guide Dogs. Guide Dogs currently needs more volunteers who could give permanent homes to guide dog mums.
Beatrix has completed numerous fundraising activities for Guide Dogs, including a 100-mile bike ride. She also sponsors a guide dog puppy.
Beatrix said: “I want to help Guide Dogs and the amazing volunteers to change lives.
“Guide Dogs have a massive impact and support people with life changing companions.
“I love the amount of time Guide Dogs spend making sure the human and the dog have the best bond and partnership.”
The children also arranged for the school to have a visit the day before their fundraising event from local Guide Dogs speaker, Chris Berry, from Long Buckby, whose late husband Frank was a guide dog owner.
The money the school raised will go towards naming Guide Dog puppies after Frank, via the charity’s Name a Puppy scheme.
Felicity Stratton, Community Fundraising Relationship Manager for Guide Dogs, covering Northamptonshire, said: “We’d like to say a big thank you to Oliver, Rhys, Beatrix and to everyone at West Haddon Primary School for supporting us.
“The money raised will make a real difference to people living with sight loss in the UK.”
To find out more about volunteering for Guide Dogs, visit www.guidedogs.org.uk/volunteer