Almost two million people in the UK are living with sight loss that has a significant impact on their daily lives. Of those, around 180,000 rarely leave their homes alone and lead lonely, isolated lives.

Peter was registered blind (SVI) in 2002 and managed his slowly deteriorating eyesight until 2019 when he felt the time was right to apply for a Guide Dog.

In November 2020, just at the outset of the second Covid lockdown, he was contacted by Guide Dogs with the news that a suitable dog was available.

What a life changer Leo has been. Leo is now an established part of our family and Peter rarely leaves the house without him.

Guide Dogs have reported that there has been a shortage of dogs due to the restrictions of the pandemic. The lockdown in 2020 meant a pause on breeding and puppy training was difficult due to the closure of restaurants and other public spaces.

Nationally, there are 1,108 people waiting for a guide dog.

The current average waiting time for a guide dog is 14.9 months.

On the 6th May 2023, Leo will be guiding Peter on the challenging, 192 mile C2C walk from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hoods Bay in North Yorkshire.

They will be accompanied on this walk by Karen and a group of close friends. A fantastic support team of other great friends will help us along the way for this 15 day challenge, with some joining us for odd days of walking.

Peter has received special permission from Guide Dogs for Leo to undertake this amazing challenge.

The only thing now is to keep our fingers crossed that the weather gods will be kind to us!

PS - The 6th May will be Leo’s 5th Birthday 🦮 ☺️

Guide Dogs works for a world where people with sight loss are never left out of life, for a world where being blind or partially sighted is not what defines you. A world with enough support to make the challenges of sight loss no barrier to fulfilling hopes and dreams.