Taking the lead
Shouting about our amazing work
I always relish the chance to get out of the office to meet service users. It’s refreshing to hear their range of views and talk to them about how our strategy, Building Extraordinary Partnerships, is evolving. So many of the guide dog owners I meet are delighted that we’re finding other ways to enable people who are blind or partially sighted to get out and about. But I don’t take this for granted and know we can always do more to communicate what we’re doing, to dispel any concerns and foster greater understanding amongst those who worry, unnecessarily, about the future of the guide dog service.
The guide dog service is growing steadily under my leadership, and I promise you that it will continue to grow. As we’ve increased the number of guide dog partnerships, the waiting list length has remained static, rather than getting longer. Client satisfaction levels remain at very high levels, and I’m also very proud that we’ve not only maintained the health and temperament of our dogs, but have actually improved them. The guide dogs service is our core service – our hero service – and I am determined that it should be protected and expanded whilst maintaining our high standards.
Speaking of our guide dog service, I am sure most of you are aware that we have had some massive successes in our Dog Attacks campaign recently, which aims to prevent and reduce the number of dogs attacking our guide dogs. We’ve lobbied hard, and now the Government has committed to microchipping all dogs in England by April 2016, and to making an attack on an assistance dog an aggravated offence in England and Wales. These are major achievements, and another sign of our commitment to the guide dog service.
We are in exciting times with our other services too. We reached some 5,000 people last year with our sighted guide programme, My Guide, and we’re on the verge of making a huge difference to children with sight loss as a result of National Blind Children's Society (NBCS) becoming our subsidiary. In their own words, NBCS’ mission is “to enable children and young people who are blind or partially sighted to achieve their educational and recreational goals”. It’s indisputable that this is anything other than an admirable aim and, except for one or two local societies, and in very limited geographical areas, no-one else is doing what NBCS does in England (and to a degree, other parts of the UK). Many of the guide dog owners I have spoken to wish they had been given the same support we plan to give to visually impaired children in mainstream schools. I couldn’t ask for better endorsement of our plans!
Guide Dogs’ trustees have decided we will be the ones to work with NBCS to deliver family, habilitation and mobility services to thousands more blind and partially sighted children and young people in the UK, and we are taking this decision very seriously. I spoke on an edition of BBC Radio 4’s In Touch programme last week, talking about this, and how we recognise that our partnership with NBCS is mutually beneficial; we help more children with sight loss and their families, and they can harness our expertise in things such as fundraising and marketing. And in case there is still any doubt, NBCS will remain a separate entity, fundraising and delivering services in its own right.
The final thing to remember is that our mission says that “we will not rest until people who are blind and partially sighted can enjoy the same freedom of movement as everyone else”. This mission applies to people of all age ranges, and we don’t limit ourselves as to how we will enable them to get about.
Posted by Richard Leaman - Guide Dogs CEO on 12:37pm Wed 15 May 2013 | Read comments | Post a comment
A service that's even greater than the sum of its parts (copy 1)
The momentum around our My Guide scheme continues to gather apace and I want to share just a few of our many recent achievements with you. In the first three months of 2013, there were nearly 1,800 occasions when a My Guide-trained volunteer helped someone with sight loss. And it’s not just other...Read the full post
Posted by Richard Leaman - Guide Dogs CEO on 12:25pm Wed 15 May 2013 | Read comments | Post a comment
Two down, more to go - and you can help
It's always good to hear when your hard work pays off, and that's exactly what happened for Guide Dogs last month. We had two great announcements - the first regarding our Dog Attacks campaign, and the second about our Safe and Sound campaign on quiet vehicles.With our Dog Attacks campaign,...Read the full post
Posted by Richard Leaman - Guide Dogs CEO on 4:54pm Wed 20 Mar 2013 | Read comments (1) | Post a comment
Please think about where you leave your vehicle
If you're reading this and you don't know anyone who's blind or partially sighted, or you don't work or volunteer for Guide Dogs, you may think there's nothing you personally can do to help someone with sight loss. But you'd be wrong. If you drive, there's something really, really simple you can do...Read the full post
Posted by Richard Leaman - Guide Dogs CEO on 10:44am Thu 7 Feb 2013 | Read comments (3) | Post a comment
Thanks to all our microchipping campaigners
Those of you that have supported our Dog Attacks campaign over the last few years will be as delighted as we were to hear the Government in Westminster announce plans to introduce compulsory microchipping for all dogs in England by 2016. As an important step in tackling irresponsible dog...Read the full post
Posted by James White - Campaigns Manager on 11:19am Wed 6 Feb 2013 | Read comments | Post a comment
The perfect time to celebrate Guide Dogs' achievements
Christmas is a time for family and celebration, and it can also presents a chance to reflect on the year gone by. In my blog last month, I talked all about what I hope you'll agree are the wonderful collaborations we've achieved in 2012. But there has also been a host of other things going on – in...Read the full post
Posted by Richard Leaman - Guide Dogs CEO on 2:26pm Tue 18 Dec 2012 | Read comments | Post a comment
A Year of Partnership and Collaboration
The year is rapidly coming to an end, and what a year it's been! We're already 10 months into our Change Programme which, among many other things, envisaged more collaboration with other organisations. This time last year, I was hopeful that we could build more partnerships in 2012, and I'm...Read the full post
Posted by on 9:24am Fri 16 Nov 2012 | Read comments | Post a comment
Remember a Charity Week - Michael Fish heads up the campaign
We've been busy this week with all the preparations for ‘Remember A Charity' week, which started this Saturday.Remember A Charity is a group of 140 of the UK's favourite charities, working together to encourage more people to consider leaving a charitable gift in their Will, once they've looked...Read the full post
Posted by Jayne George - Director of Fundraising and Income Generation on 9:21am Wed 19 Sep 2012 | Read comments | Post a comment
Welcome to Guide Dogs Week 2012!
I'm delighted to be able to welcome you to Guide Dogs Week 2012. The theme is Walk My Way, and I'm thrilled that this year, we're inviting you to step into the world of sight loss to raise money for Guide Dogs.Having done blindfold walks and eaten a meal in blindfold myself, there's one reality...Read the full post
Posted by Richard Leaman - Guide Dogs CEO on 10:50am Thu 4 Oct 2012 | Read comments | Post a comment
A final farewell to Sadie by David Blunkett MP
When I got up on Monday morning, 9 July, the first day of the two-day debate on the future of the House of Lords and therefore of our Constitution, I had little else on my mind. Later that day, I was due to speak in the House of Commons and as Backbenchers' individual contributions had been reduced...Read the full post
Posted by David Blunkett on 3:24pm Mon 3 Sep 2012 | Read comments (3) | Post a comment
What's bus travel like as a guide dog owner in Brighton and London?
On Wednesday August 29 I will proudly carry the Paralympic Torch through the streets of London, accompanied by my brilliant guide dog Thomas, and four of my team mates from Europe’s first ever all female blind cricket team.Thomas and I are frequent visitors to London from our home in Brighton as...Read the full post
Posted by on 11:22am Wed 29 Aug 2012 | Read comments | Post a comment
Paving the way for better parking
One of the most frequent complaints the Campaigns Team receive from guide dog owners and other blind and partially sighted people is about cars parking inconsiderately on pavements. Parking on pavements creates an obstacle for all pedestrians trying to use the pavements, making it difficult for...Read the full post
Posted by on 1:24pm Tue 20 Nov 2012 | Read comments (3) | Post a comment
My Guide at the Olympics
The world's greatest show, the London 2012 Olympic Games, is now well underway. I am delighted to be able to tell you that Guide Dogs has played a key role in making these the most accessible Games ever. We've worked with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games...Read the full post
Posted by on 12:38pm Wed 1 Aug 2012 | Read comments | Post a comment
Specsavers Guide Dog of the Year Awards
We're incredibly busy at the moment with the final preparations for this year's Specsavers Guide Dog of the Year Awards, but my thoughts have already turned to next year. In 2011, three guide dogs and their owners gathered with guests at Regent's College Conference Centre in London to receive one...Read the full post
Posted by on 3:57pm Mon 2 Jul 2012 | Read comments | Post a comment
Guide Dogs' National Breeding Centre opens its doors for public tours
We’re pleased to announce that from Mid-July 2012 onwards, we’ll be opening the doors of our National Breeding Centre and offering tours of the building and facilities to the general public.Located near Leamington Spa, the world class National Breeding Centre took over a year to build and the first...Read the full post
Posted by on 10:46am Fri 15 Jun 2012 | Read comments (3) | Post a comment
Sixty Years of Change
This week is the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, there's a sense of national celebration and a chance to reflect on the past 60 years. Britain was very different when the Queen ascended to the throne. We were only just beginning to recover from post-war austerity and cars and televisions were still...Read the full post
Posted by on 10:54am Fri 1 Jun 2012 | Read comments | Post a comment
Keeping mobile with clever apps
As technology moves forward, more and more applications, or “apps,” are being created for smartphones, e-readers and tablet computers. Many blind and partially sighted users of such devices find that these programs can be a great help in their everyday lives. We asked John Welsman, Policy Business...Read the full post
Posted by on 2:09pm Thu 17 May 2012 | Read comments (7) | Post a comment
Guide Dogs goes back to the future
As social networking fans may already be aware, Facebook recently introduced a new layout for their user’s profile pages, known as Facebook Timeline.Timeline works as an online scrapbook, allowing both individual users and organisations to tell their story through news reports, status updates,...Read the full post
Posted by on 9:22am Tue 1 May 2012 | Read comments (3) | Post a comment
The chips are down for dangerous dogs
Today, 23 April 2012, I am delighted that the Government has announced a public consultation on compulsory microchipping for all dogs in England. It has been 17 months since the Government ended its consultation on the Dangerous Dogs Act, and we’ve been campaigning hard for this measure for several...Read the full post
Posted by on 10:50am Fri 27 Apr 2012 | Read comments (2) | Post a comment
No VAT on guide dogs food
Guide Dogs pay £300,000 in VAT on dog food for our working dogs each year because the VAT regulations do not recognise them as working dogs.If you ask people to name a type of working dog then guide dogs are one of the first to spring to mind. There can be no question as to whether guide dogs...Read the full post
Posted by on 1:23pm Fri 13 Apr 2012 | Read comments (12) | Post a comment
A truly amazing day with no dogs in sight
Last Wednesday I travelled to Swindon to spend the day with my colleague Becky who works in and around Swindon as a children's mobility instructor. Becky's role is funded via a contract with Swindon Visual Impairment Service, through which she provides mobility and independence services to children...Read the full post
Posted by on 1:29pm Mon 19 Mar 2012 | Read comments | Post a comment
Braille app makes texting on a touch screen possible without sight
In my last blog I wrote about 'The Internet of Things' and the desire to create a Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure that one day will store your personal preferences and use them to automatically personalise the interface of any public phone, computer, cash point or ticket machine that you...Read the full post
Posted by on 9:37am Thu 8 Mar 2012 | Read comments | Post a comment
Google gives 'Guinness' to the blind
We're always pleased to be invited in to meet with new organisations, whether schools, businesses or supermarkets, so when we were invited to spend time with the Google UK Legal Team at the end of last year, we were really excited. An opportunity to go into one of the world’s largest and most...Read the full post
Posted by on 4:01pm Wed 8 Feb 2012 | Read comments (1) | Post a comment
Finding the Forgotten Passengers
Using a bus is something that many of us take for granted: you get on the bus, then get off at the stop you want. Sounds easy, right? Now imagine doing it blindfolded and things become much more difficult. Think about trying to keep a track of where you are along the bus route and all the little...Read the full post
Posted by on 10:17am Mon 30 Jan 2012 | Read comments (3) | Post a comment
Changing for good
The New Year is a time when optimists turn to a fresh page, vowing to take up new challenges or give up bad habits in the hope their lives will be changed for the better. We've all done it and some of us have even succeeded. This year I needed no resolutions, as I had a fresh start already planned...Read the full post
Posted by Nikki Malin on 11:40am Tue 17 Jan 2012 | Read comments | Post a comment
Council budgets are Cracking Under Pressure
If you drive, have you ever parked with two wheels up on a pavement? Chances are, you have. It's OK, we've all done it. You probably did it because it was the most convenient place for you to park, and you made sure that you pulled over as far as you could so other motorists could get past you,...Read the full post
Posted by David Cowdrey on 10:54am Wed 4 Apr 2012 | Read comments (2) | Post a comment
Shared Space - Did the DfT go far enough?
Despite our feelings about shared spaces – where kerbs, crossings and other vital pedestrian safety measures are removed and the street scene made completely level – we always contribute to debate on the topic in a constructive manner. So when we were able to contribute to the Department for...Read the full post
Posted by David Cowdrey on 5:16pm Tue 15 Nov 2011 | Read comments (2) | Post a comment
Protect a pavement
Think of a car parked on a pavement. Inconvenient, inconsiderate, out of place? Yes - but for many street users, including people with Guide Dogs, pavement parking is also something more serious, and Living Streets, the national charity that stands up for pedestrians, is campaigning for an end to...Read the full post
Posted by Tony Armstrong - Chief Executive, Living Streets on 11:32am Mon 7 Nov 2011 | Read comments (6) | Post a comment
Fast Forward to the Internet of Things
There have been some truly amazing advances in technology over the past decade, particularly with regard to mobile communications and global access to information. Hardly a day goes by when each of us doesn’t use the internet or a mobile phone. Put simply, these innovations are now an essential...Read the full post
Posted by John Shelton on 10:02am Wed 2 Nov 2011 | Read comments (2) | Post a comment
Seeing it my way - we want your views
Every blind and partially sighted person in the UK should have the same range of information, advice and practical support. It sounds simple, but for the hundreds of thousands of people who live with sight loss in the UK, this is far from reality. ‘Seeing it my way’, endorsed by the UK Vision...Read the full post
Posted by Miriam Martin - Chair of the ‘Seeing it my way’ steering group. on 8:39am Fri 28 Oct 2011 | Read comments | Post a comment
Simple steps to preserve our vision
One hundred people go blind everyday in the UK. World sight day, 13 October, is a reminder of the importance of good eye care. We are an aging population, so inevitably the number of people developing sight loss due to eye conditions associated with age is increasing. But by taking a few simple...Read the full post
Posted by Alison Hood, Research Development Manager, Guide Dogs. on 1:47pm Thu 13 Oct 2011 | Read comments | Post a comment
Campaigning for Life
This week is Guide Dogs Week and the 80th anniversary of the first British guide dog partnerships. It is more than 40 years since I got my first guide dog and even now my sixth dog, Amanda, gives me the confidence I need to live a full life. At 71, like everyone else, I want to go out on my own....Read the full post
Posted by on 1:36pm Mon 3 Oct 2011 | Read comments (1) | Post a comment
Attacks on guide dogs must stop
This week, we published shocking research revealing that the number of attacks on guide dogs by other dogs has more than doubled in the space of 14 months. Our findings provoked an incredible amount of coverage, and there have since been some developments which I wanted to share with you. As a...Read the full post
Posted by Richard Leaman on 4:05pm Wed 7 Sep 2011 | Read comments (18) | Post a comment
Sean Dilley on Transport and Mobility
On Tuesday 6th July, I had the pleasure of accepting an invitation to make the keynote address at Guide Dogs' Transport and Mobility Conference in Central London. As a guide dog owner of nearly 13 years, I experience frustrations every single day as a result of ill-thought out and badly planned...Read the full post
Posted by Sean Dilley on 3:23pm Mon 18 Jul 2011 | Read comments (4) | Post a comment
Standing out from the crowd
You may have noticed some changes going on at Guide Dogs. Our new look website is just part of a bigger drive to make sure we get noticed for all the right things. An estimated 180,000 people with sight loss still find it hard to leave home alone. This is unacceptable. Guide Dogs is developing new...Read the full post
Posted by Louise Robertshaw, Head of Communications on 2:26pm Wed 12 Oct 2011 | Read comments (2) | Post a comment
Volunteers' week: celebrate our volunteers and inspire others to join Guide Dogs
Happy Volunteers' Week to all our fantastic volunteers and to those of you who are thinking of volunteering for us! From 1st to 7th June 2011 it is Volunteers Week which is a national event that celebrates the enormous contribution that millions of volunteers make across the UK. This includes...Read the full post
Posted by Jo Sullivan on 5:30pm Thu 23 Jun 2011 | Read comments (7) | Post a comment
Guide Dogs - gifts in memory
Hopefully everyone who supports Guide Dogs gets a great feeling from backing something they believe in and care about, but when someone makes a donation in memory of someone special, this feeling seems to run much deeper. I speak regularly with donors who find themselves in this situation and they...Read the full post
Posted by Vicky West, Legacy Marketing Officer on 2:51pm Fri 24 Jun 2011 | Read comments (2) | Post a comment
Guide Dogs at Hardest Hit march
LAST Wednesday's [May 11] march against cuts to disability benefits was a real show of strength from the disabled community, now we must keep focused on the job in hand to ensure those in power make good on their promises. Guide dog owners supporters and staff travelled from all over England,...Read the full post
Posted by David Cowdrey, Campaigns Manager on 2:51pm Fri 24 Jun 2011 | Read comments | Post a comment
Hardest Hit march - May 11
For as long as I can remember, May 11 has been a date not to forget, mainly because it's my mum's birthday, but this year it'll be even more memorable. More than 10,000 people, including guide dog owners and other blind and partially sighted people, will march on Parliament to make themselves...Read the full post
Posted by James White, Campaigns Officer on 10:42pm Sun 12 Jun 2011 | Read comments (4) | Post a comment
Easter Travel Tips
It's that time of year when people are about to head away on a short spring break or perhaps starting to plan their summer holiday. Planning a getaway of any duration takes a lot of thought, and if you have a visual impairment, there are extra things to think about when making travel arrangements,...Read the full post
Posted by Gill Kenyon, Information Officer on 4:29pm Sun 12 Jun 2011 | Read comments | Post a comment
Go social for Guide Dogs
Social media has been around for about five or ten years now (depending on who you ask!). And so this week when I visited the Social Media World Forum in London, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on the last few years and take a look at how things have evolved. With such a large event...Read the full post
Posted by Tom Jones, Social Media and Communities Officer on 4:31pm Sun 12 Jun 2011 | Read comments (1) | Post a comment
Ready, steady, go for Guide Dogs!
The 2011 events season has only just started and we're almost out of breath already! From cheering on the fantastic 111 Guide Dogs runners in the Bath Half Marathon to shouting for the 120 participating in the Reading Half Marathon, it's been quite an energetic start to the year. Now it's full...Read the full post
Posted by Peter Emmett, Head of Events Fundraising on 4:31pm Sun 12 Jun 2011 | Read comments | Post a comment
Guide Dogs and the search for a perfect match
Guide Dogs made national and international news last week. Just in case you haven't seen, heard or read about it, the story of Graham Waspe, his blind former guide dog Edward and his new guide dog Opal, went global! From New York Daily News,to iAfrica.com, to Welt Online and CCN TURK.com. Having...Read the full post
Posted by Andrew Gower, Guide Dog Mobility Instructer on 4:31pm Sun 12 Jun 2011 | Read comments (3) | Post a comment
Big Society - big opportunity?
The 'Big Society' is a phrase you've probably seen or heard a lot in recent weeks. Whatever your view, it is THE political idea of the moment and has a huge potential impact on volunteering, so we need to be fully involved in shaping what the Big Society means. The ultimate aim is to make giving a...Read the full post
Posted by on 4:32pm Sun 12 Jun 2011 | Read comments | Post a comment
Legacy charity donation
Having worked at Guide Dogs for over six years I'm constantly amazed at the generosity that enables the organisation to literally transform lives, because none of it would be possible without the support of the public. The media is constantly bombarding us with stories about the state of the...Read the full post
Posted by Vicky West, Legacy Marketing Officer on 10:50am Wed 12 Oct 2011 | Read comments (1) | Post a comment
From lab to Lab - the science behind mobility
When people think of Guide Dogs, that's exactly what they think of a guide dog but there's so much more going on behind the scenes. Guide Dogs funds hugely important research into a broad spectrum of areas affecting visually impaired people. Last year we funded around £600,000 of on-going...Read the full post
Posted by Helen Perryman, Research Coordinator on 4:35pm Sun 12 Jun 2011 | Read comments | Post a comment
How will the third sector provide children's services in the Big Society?
Last year Guide Dogs was able to help more than 500 visually impaired youngsters start out on their journey towards greater independence. We want that number to increase, but reaching out to more children and young people is not without its challenges in the current climate. The important work we...Read the full post
Posted by Mike England, vision support services manager (children's services) on 4:36pm Sun 12 Jun 2011 | Read comments | Post a comment
Guide dogs - Using a CAT to make a dog
If you've seen one of the 4,500 guide dog partnerships in the UK in action, you'll know that guide dogs are truly remarkable animals. We are committed to providing dogs to all those who can benefit, for as long as they need one, but breeding the number of dogs needed is a real challenge. There’s...Read the full post
Posted by Dave Stanton, Breeding Stock Manager on 4:36pm Sun 12 Jun 2011 | Read comments (2) | Post a comment
The Future of Fundraising
Charities are constantly searching for ways to make the donation process more relevant to the way people live their lives - and you can bet your bottom dollar they’re all thinking about technology. Guide Dogs originally launched the app on iPhone in October but Apple still doesn’t allow direct...Read the full post
Posted by Caroline Shields, Signature Events Coordinator on 4:36pm Sun 12 Jun 2011 | Read comments | Post a comment
Conventional wisdom? The United Nations on disability rights
Last Tuesday it felt for a moment like I’d travelled back in time. I was in Birmingham for a workshop on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. As a Brummie this meant a return to the city I grew up in, and as a former member of Birmingham Disability Rights Group,...Read the full post
Posted by Carl Freeman, Health & Social Care Policy Manager on 4:36pm Sun 12 Jun 2011 | Read comments | Post a comment
Irresponsible dog owners have had their chips
On Friday last week, the much talked about Dog Control Bill made it to committee stage at the House of Lords. For those of you who aren?t already familiar, the bill is looking to repeal the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and hold owners accountable for their dog through control notices. These issues...Read the full post
Posted by David Cowdrey - Campaigns Manager on 4:37pm Sun 12 Jun 2011 | Read comments (6) | Post a comment
Vision for Equality: Working together for an inclusive society
The words ‘excited’ and ‘conference’ are not usually found in the same sentence, but there is a real buzz at Guide Dogs about hosting the Vision for Equality Conference this week (Wednesday 19 January). Vision for Equality has been organised to contribute to and move forward the work of the UK...Read the full post
Posted by Sue Sharp Guide Dogs’ Head of Public Policy and Campaigns on 4:37pm Sun 12 Jun 2011 | Read comments | Post a comment
Guide Dogs Blog Introduction
Welcome to Taking the Lead, our new blog, a place for our committed and professional team to provide their thoughts on the burning issues affecting the blind and partially sighted community. The new year is traditionally a time for renewing resolve, and so I thought I’d use this first blog to talk...Read the full post
Posted by Richard Leaman on 4:37pm Sun 12 Jun 2011 | Read comments (4) | Post a comment
