Guide Dogs has a total of five regional centres. Together they train over 1,000 new guide dogs each year. Regions covered will be included below:
Guide Dogs Regional Centre North West was opened for business in April 2009 and was officially opened in May 2010 by HRH Princess Alexandra. The site is a breeding ground for the Great Crested Newt. This is a protected species so the initial building work was delayed while we followed DEFRA guidelines to make sure we didn't harm any of the newts. We still have a pond on site and the newts are still here today. We have trained and put forward to advanced training over 400 dogs.
Counties covered include: Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Isle Of Man, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Rutland, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire, Cheshire, Merseyside, North Wales, Staffordshire and Shropshire.
Contact:
Gibfield Park Avenue
Atherton
Manchester
M46 0SU- Tel: 0345 1430190
- Guide Dogs Regional Centre North West Information (This link will prompt a document download)
Guide Dogs Regional Centre South East trains nearly 250 guide dogs each year. At any one time there are over 100 dogs at the centre. Most are undergoing their first stage or “early” guide dog training. A small number are doing second stage or “advanced” training.
Dogs come to centre from puppy walking when they are about 14 months old. Their early training takes around 16 weeks. 20 professional guide dog trainers introduce the young dogs to a harness, encourage them to ignore distractions and teach them the basics of guiding which includes: leading a person in a straight line without pulling, stopping and sitting at changes in the ground level such as kerbs and steps, and avoiding street obstacles.
This centre is the hub for puppy walking. The puppy walking team manages over 600 puppy walkers who currently look after more than 420 puppies. Regular puppy training classes are held at the centre where local puppies and walkers come together for a couple of hours of schooling and socialising!
Guide Dogs Regional Centre South East is the location for the re-homing of dogs that have been withdrawn from training or guiding and retired guide dogs. A team of re-homing staff find new careers and new homes for over 200 withdrawn and retired dogs each year.
Counties covered include: Kent, East Sussex, Suffolk, Essex, Norfolk, West Sussex, Surrey, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, London.
Contact:
7a Manor Road
Woodford Green
London
IG8 8GG
Tel: 0345 1430225
Guide Dogs Regional Centre Scotland was opened for business in 2007 and was officially opened in 2008 by HRH Princess Alexandra.
Regions covered include: Scotland, Northern Ireland, Tyne and Wear, Durham, Teesside, Northumberland, Cumbria, Northumbria PW.
Dean Way
Orchardbank Business Park
Forfar
DD8 1WGTel: 0345 1430205
Guide Dogs Regional Centre Midlands at Leamington Spa started in 1941 and today trains 220 dogs a year.
Areas covered include: Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire, Isle Of Wight, Cornwall,Devon, Somerset, Warwickshire, West Midlands, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, South Wales (Powys & South), Leicestershire and Northamptonshire.
Contact:
Edmondscote Manor
Warwick New Road
Leamington Spa
CV32 6AHTel: 0345 1430208
Guide Dogs Regional Centre Midlands Site Information
Our South West Regional Centre was opened in July 2021 by our patron, Her Royal Highness the Countess of Wessex.
Based in Bedminster, Bristol, this city centre location offers us more space to welcome the people we support on site, to do things like daily living skills workshops or training. It also provides us withstate-of-the-artt facilities for training our dogs with a brand-new STEP Training area (Standardised Training for Excellent Partnerships).
It will become an integral hub, supporting the communities across Bristol and the South West and linking teams across Cardiff, Exeter & Southampton. It will have a lasting impact, helping people to live more active and independent lives.
The site is also home to part of our Guide Dogs Academy, where we’re training new staff to become fully qualified Guide Dog Trainers and Guide Dog Mobility Specialists.
The local community team support the surrounding areas of Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and Somerset.Contact:
10 Stillhouse Lane
Bedminster
Bristol
BS3 4EBTel: 0118 983 5555