£50k milestone for group

SUPPORTERS of Guide Dogs Cymru in Bridgend are celebrating a magnificent milestone.

Just six years since it was set up, the charity’s local fundraising group has raised more than £50,000 – enough to train and support a guide dog from birth to retirement.

Members celebrated the achievement at their January meeting in the Heronston Hotel.

Organiser Norah Clarke, of Porthcawl, said: “We’ve done it mainly by attending local events and holding store collections.

“It’s all down to the commitment and dedication of a small committee and the fantastic generosity of residents and organisations across the county borough.

“One Saturday we had a bucket collection in Tesco in Maesteg and raised more than £525. People are so kind, and really interested in our dogs.”

The Bridgend group is chaired by guide dog owner Keith Barrett of Corntown, who has been blind since he was a baby. He raised more than £5,000 for Guide Dogs Cymru by riding a tandem from Paris to Swansea with the help of a friend from the Ogmore Valley Wheelers cycling club, and is currently paired with his sixth dog, Lena.

He and other members enjoy giving talks to groups of all ages, and some board guide dogs while the owners are away. Others train puppies during their first year, a role known as puppy walking.

The group is planning a busy 2017, with events including a quiz night at Laleston Gardening Club on Saturday, June 3.

The next group meeting is at the Heronston Hotel at 7pm on Tuesday, March 28, and newcomers are welcome.

For more information, ring Norah Clarke on 01656 786018.