As Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Cardiff we are delighted to have been given the opportunity to raise funds for this wonderful charity. We have a long standing connection with Guide Dogs Cymru, having been volunteers with them over ten years.

Guide Dogs exist to help people live actively, live independently and live well. They do this through a variety of means but are best known for their life changing dogs.

Sight loss is something that people think will not happen to them, or they associate it with old age but:

o 1 in 5 people will live with significant sight loss in their lifetime.

o Every six minutes in the UK, one more person loses their sight.

o Every day 250 more people join the 2 million already living with sight loss and this number is set to double by 2050.

o Six million people are estimated to be living with sight-threatening eye conditions.

o In 2022 nearly 100,000 people will be told they are losing their sight.

o There are 28,000 children (under 18) who are blind or partially sighted in the UK.

o Every day around four children in the UK are registered blind or partially sighted.

o 73% of people with sight loss of working age are unemployed.

Guide dogs are literally life changers. They give people the confidence to be out and about as well as providing emotional support and company. The sad truth is that there are just not enough dogs to meet demand. There is no upper or minimum age for guide dog partnerships. In 2020 the youngest guide dog owner was 14 and the oldest was 97.

Despite providing such an essential service the vast majority of the income for Guide Dogs Cymru comes from voluntary fundraising and this is why we have chosen to support them this year. In order to remove worries about affordability and to make sure that no one is disadvantaged, Guide dogs are provided free of charge with all the costs of the dog covered from birth to retirement. This means everything - toys, food, vet bills, training, bedding, equipment. Sometimes people are able to help with the costs of their guide dog which is fully supported, but anyone who needs a dog is able to have one without the worry of affordability.

This is not cheap however from birth to retirement it costs over £55,000 per dog to breed, train and support them. One person might have as many as 8 guide dogs in their life time bringing the total cost to around £450,000.

This an eye watering amount of money and we want to do our bit. We have seen first-hand what wonderful dogs these are. We have fostered them (26 in total) during their training over the last ten years and have seen them graduate to be life changers.

We would be very grateful if you could support this worthwhile cause.

Graham and Anne Hinchey.

Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Cardiff.