Lincolnshire retirement village sets guide dog puppy on his way

One of our retirement villages in Lincolnshire has raised vital funds to help a guide dog give a partially sighted or blind person essential support.  

Residents and colleagues at Barratt Court in Skegness have been holding various events throughout the year to raise the target of £2,500 to name and sponsor a guide dog puppy.   

During 2023 they held a charity afternoon in the Lancaster Lounge with a local Ukulele group, raffle and tombola that raised £200, a name the teddy raising £20, and a Christmas tombola raising £230.  

Fund raising continued during this year with a psychic afternoon which added £120 to the pot and the Guide Dogs Society helping with a garage sale raising £240.  

Remaining monies were raised from generous donations from the charity table in the cafe.  

Tejinder Bahia, our Retirement Villages Service Manager said: “It is both heartwarming and humbling to see the hard work of everyone involved in raising this superb amount for such a great charity. We’re looking forward to watching Barratt grow into a fully trained guide dog and helping enhance someone's life in our communities.”   

Every six minutes someone starts to lose their sight in the UK. Guide Dogs are the world’s largest assistance dog organisation and world leaders in puppy socialisation and dog training; the only organisation to breed and train guide dogs in the UK.   

There are 2 million people living with sight loss in the UK which can be difficult without the right support; people can be left feeling alone and isolated.  

Puppies become life-changing guide dogs, giving freedom and independence to people with sight loss and helping them integrate back into society.     

Jill Humphries, the Skegness group coordinator from Guide Dogs said: “The support we have received from everyone at Barratt Court is absolutely amazing. They are a pleasure to work with. We are so lucky to have such dedicated people supporting us. The fundraising they have done his greatly appreciated by all of us at Guide Dogs.”   

Photo caption: Barratt, named after Barratt Court in Skegness, just starting his journey as a guide dog