Hi, thank you so much for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Did you know it costs £50,000 to train just ONE guide dog throughout it’s working life?

My Grandpa was unfortunately blind as a result of an untreated case of glaucoma; fortunately he had an amazing support network consisting of the local blind societies and most importantly my Grandma who he called “ his eyes”. Not all sufferers of visual impairment are as fortunate. I am running the Great North Run in September and the Leicester Marathon in October for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association who are tireless in their efforts to improve the lives of those that are visually impaired.

For 75 years this amazing organisation have been training guide dogs providing many thousands to blind and partially-sighted people of all ages and from all walks of life. If this was not enough they are heavily involved in campaigning for the rights of rights of people with visual impairment.  Their campaign for the introduction of “Talking Busses” was one particularly close to my heart. (http://www.guidedogs.org.uk/supportus/campaigns/talkingbuses/)

My Grandpa was lucky enough to live in an area where he was well known and well repsected, and on the occassions when he would have to travel into Rochester on his own, without my grandma, the bus driver would always ask him which stop he wanted and inform him when he had arrived. However, this is not always the case, and the fear of not knowing which stop you are at often puts people off using them. Guide Dogs is campaigning for a change in the law to make audio and visual information – including audible announcements of the current stop, next stop and final destination – available on board bus and coach services across the UK. This will enable blind and partially-sighted people to use buses with confidence, and improve the experience of bus travel for all passengers, and give them the same experience of bus travel and the freedom that affords as my Grandpa was able to receive.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.

 

Thank you so much for your support, I  KNOW that it will be put towards an amazing cause.

Lots of Love

Helen