News

Like many other charities across the UK, Guide Dogs is operating in an extremely difficult climate with a high demand for our services.

Our fixed costs have increased considerably over the past few years and although our fundraising income has continued to grow each year, because of the external economic challenges, our costs have grown more. An example of this is our vet fees which have increased by 19% since 2022 and our dog food costs by 12%. We are delivering a change programme to address these pressures and ensure we are in the best position to deliver our services in the future. 

Whilst we are undergoing a period of change, reducing the wait for a guide dog will continue to be an organisational priority, along with increasing the number of partnerships we are producing. We are making good progress to return our guide dog service back to where we were pre-pandemic and this hard work and dedication will continue.  

Our CEO, Andrew Lennox, was recently on Radio Four’s In Touch programme explaining our change programme and how we are preparing Guide Dogs for the future. You can find the recording on BBC Sounds, and the wider changes were also reported in The Guardian.

Guide Dogs is committed to providing Sighted Guiding - we have seen how valuable it is and the improvement it brings to people’s lives. Over the next 12 months we will more than double the size of the team which delivers training to the friends and families of people with sight loss, and to companies and the wider community so that as many people as possible are equipped to provide sighted guide help.

My Sighted Guide has been part of the services we have provided alongside our volunteers for several years, and has delivered enormous benefits to some people. We really appreciate the work and dedication which has gone into these partnerships, but as we look to the future, we have found that it is proving increasingly difficult to deliver a fair and consistent service, and to set up and support new partnerships. For over a year My Sighted Guide has not been accepting new applicants to the waiting list. Despite this, we haven’t been able to identify a workable way forward, so over the course of this year, we will be closing this part of the service entirely.

What does this mean for our My sighted Guide volunteers?

We are reaching out to all My Sighted Guide volunteers to let you know about the overall service closure. We will be in touch with you to discuss your individual circumstances and next steps, so for now do please continue as usual in meeting your MSG partner.

We have also reached out to all our My Sighted Guide service users to let them know that we are bringing the service to a close. We will be in touch with every service user individually to discuss alternative support for them and agree timescales for their partnership to come to an end. Please be reassured that we will do this thoroughly and sensitively in order to find the best solution, so there’s no necessity for you to find alternate support for them.

We are working towards closing the service by the end of the year, however your partnership may come to an end before then as we support the transition to other support for our service users. We will be in touch with you to discuss your own partnership and end date. We appreciate that you and your My Sighted Guide partner may make a personal decision to keep in touch after the service has closed.  In future however this would become a private agreement, rather than an arrangement supported by Guide Dogs.

I know that this is news you were not expecting or hoping for. It’s been a really difficult decision to come to, with implications for our My Sighted Guide colleagues as well as volunteers and service users, and we have looked at lots of different options before taking this step. Our aim is to make Sighted Guiding as common-place as first aid knowledge, so that when our service users go out to the shops, the library, on public transport, they can reasonably expect that someone will be there with the skills to help them. In order to do that we need to focus our resources on training groups of people, and raising awareness on the benefits to everyone of being able to provide Sighted Guiding support.

Thank you so much for your dedication, time and commitment to volunteering as a My Sighted Guide volunteer – please do continue to support your service user whilst we work with them to ensure they have the support they need. We will of course continue to cover all agreed expenses until the end of the partnership.

We really appreciate your understanding as we work through these changes. In the meantime you can reach the GuideLine on 0800 781 1444, or by emailing information@guidedogs.org.uk.

The Big Help Out 2024 takes place this year on the weekend of 7–9 June. It is a nationwide campaign to showcase the benefits of volunteering and encourage people to give back to their communities.  

To mark The Big Help Out we will be hosting events all over the UK. Our aim is to encourage more people to volunteer with us so we can support more people with sight loss to live the life they choose.  

The number one reason that people say they volunteer is because they were asked. If you’d like to help us celebrate The Big Help Out, why not ask friends, family members and neighbours to come along to one of our events?  

The Big Help Out Events

•  Atherton: Friday 7th June, 4pm - 7pm
  
  Guide Dogs NWRC Atherton, Gibfield Park Avenue, Manchester M46 OSU
  
  
• Belfast: 7th June, time TBC
  
  Conservation Volunteers - Grey to Green Space, 13 Kent Street Belfast BT1 1DA
  
  
• Birmingham: Saturday 15th June, 10am - 3pm
  
  Harborne Market, 4 York St, Harborne, Birmingham B17 0HG (Market takes place beside York street car park)
  
  
• Bristol: Friday 7th June, 10am - 2pm
  
  Clifton Down Shopping Centre, Whiteladies Road, Bristol BS8 2NN
  
  
• Cardiff: 3rd - 4th June, 10am - 2pm
  
  St Davids Shopping Centre, CF10 2EF
  
  
• Edinburgh: Thursday 6th June, 10am - 2pm
  
  Dobbies Dunfermline (Edinburgh), Whimbrell Place, Fife Leisure Park, Dunfermline KY11 8EX
  
  
• Exeter: Friday 7th June , 9am - 1pm
  
  Royal Cornwall Show, Wadebridge, Cornwall PL27 7JE
  
  
• Forfar: Sunday 16th June, 12- 4pm
  
  Forfar Gala Day, Myre Park, Myre Road, Forfar, Angus DD8
  
  
• Glasgow: Saturday 8th June, 10am - 2pm
  
  GD Family Run. Glasgow Green, Greendyke Street, Saltmarket, Glasgow G1 5DB
  
  
• Leeds: Saturday 8th June, 10am - 4pm
  
  Junction 32 Outlet Shopping, Tomahawk Trail, Castleford WF10 4FR
  
  
• Liverpool: Friday 7th June, 12pm-3pm
  
  Dobbies Garden Centre Speke Liverpool, 1A Speke Hall Avenue, Liverpool L24 1UX
  
  
• London: Tuesday 4th June, 12 - 2pm
  
  Paddington Central (business park), 2 Kingdom Street, Paddington Central, W2 6AE
  
  
• Maidstone: Monday 3rd June, 11am - 2pm
  
  Fremlin Walk Shopping Centre, 62 Earl Street, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1PS
  
  
• Midlands/National Centre: Saturday 8th June, 10am - 2pm
  
  Midlands Regional Centre, 58 Warwick New Road, Leamington Spa CV32 6AA
  
  
• Newcastle: Saturday 8th June, 9am - 5pm
  
  Eldon Square Shopping Centre, Percy St, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7JB
  
  
• Nottingham / Peterborough: Saturday 1st June, 10am - 2pm
  
  Tesco Bulwell, 35 Jennison St, Bulwell, Nottingham NG6 8EQ
  
  
• Reading: Saturday 8th June, 11am - 2pm
  
  Cornerstone Arts Centre, 25 Station Road, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 7NE
  
  
• Redbridge: Thursday 6th June, 9.30am – 4pm
  
  Chelmsford High Street (There is no specific address, along the High Street)
  
  
• Sheffield: Saturday 8th June, 11am - 3pm
  
  Sheffield office, Guide Dogs, 2 Europa Court, Sheffield Business Park, Sheffield S9 1XE
  
  
• Shrewsbury: Saturday 25th May, 10am-4pm
  
  Shrewsbury Town Square, SY1 1PL
  
  
• Southampton: Saturday 1st June, 10am - 12pm
  
  Tesco Extra, Solent Road, Havant, PO9 1TR, PO9 1TR

You told us in the Volunteer View survey that you’d like to try out new roles and get to know other volunteers in your local area. We listened and have made it even easier for existing volunteers to become fundraisers. Joining your local fundraising group is the perfect way to meet new people, raise funds for Guide Dogs, and while doing so, have a whole heap of fun!   

If you’re not a fundraiser already, you can now add it to your volunteer roles much more easily. The quickest way to do so is to complete the Fundraiser interest form. Once completed, your local community fundraising relationship manager will be in touch to welcome you and get you started fundraising straight away.  

Our commitment to you is that we will continue to keep in touch about your current role(s), as well as any other potential volunteering opportunities. If you’d like to try something new, you can talk to us at any time, so please do not hesitate to get in touch. Your volunteer manager and the Volunteering Office are here to answer any questions and help you find ways to give your time. You can contact the Volunteering Office at volunteer@guidedogs.org.uk or on 0118 983 5555.

Did you know that our volunteers support Guide Dogs in all sorts of ways – and you might be surprised at some of the roles volunteers take on. One such example is Caroline who volunteers at the National Centre. She is a Visitor Experience Ambassador and Puppy Socialiser, but may be known to local volunteers in her role as editor of Newshound, a newsletter for volunteers supporting the Guide Dogs National Centre that Caroline puts together.

Featuring news from around the centre, updates from staff, and heartwarming volunteer stories, each newsletter is a fascinating insight into the National Centre and Guide Dogs as a whole.

You can read the 22nd edition of Newshound here – huge thanks to Caroline and all who contributed to the magazine for all your hard work!

If you are curious about some of the other volunteering roles available at Guide Dogs, there is more information available on our website or you can contact the Volunteering Office on volunteer@guidedogs.org.uk or 0345 143 0191.

Paws on the Wharf, our accessible art trail in Canary Wharf, is coming to an end soon. The last day is 17 May, so it’s not too late to visit!

Download your free accessible trail map and sniff out the trail.

Once the trail has come to a close, our incredible guide dog sculptures, each individually decorated by a talented artist, will be looking for their ‘furever’ homes. If you’d like to pick up a pup, our online auction is live now.

You can now bid on your favourite Canary Wharf canine until 4 June. Your bid will then be entered into our in-person auction event on 5 June. So, make sure you input your maximum bid or select the ‘buy it now’ price to secure your four-legged friend.

Otherwise, you can follow the action on Instagram at @pawsonthewharf_guidedogs. And help us spread the word about our auction so we can raise vital funds for our life-changing work.

We’ve teamed up with the world-famous comic Beano to create a special story ‘A Buddy For Life’, alongside the first audio comic strip created especially for people with a vision impairment. Readers will learn and find out from their favourite Beano characters how our incredible guide dogs and buddy dogs help people living with sight loss. 

In this special comic strip story, which will be available in print as an insert in the May 1st issue of Beano, Erbert, Minnie, Dennis and Gnasher discover all about our life-changing support when Erbert reveals to his school friends that he is living with sight loss. Follow them on their journey from Beanotown to Guide Dogs National Centre as they meet two new characters along the way, inspired by real-life partnerships, Hester and guide dog Pickle, and Alex and buddy dog Chance. 

Visit our dedicated Beano page to find out more, including the real-life partnerships behind the comic. We also have a digital version of the comic alongside the audio version, which are both available to download.

Following the widespread news of Guide Dogs’ much-loved stud dog Trigger retiring, the coverage appeared on Channel 4’s Gogglebox.

You can catch up at the end of the Gogglebox episode online.

We love our Local Volunteer Awards as they are an opportunity to recognise the dedication and achievements of you, our volunteers. This year the awards will take place in September. 

We’d like to recognise as many volunteers as possible, so we have made it even easier for you to nominate each other. All you need to do is complete a short online nomination form. You can nominate as many fellow volunteers as you like, for as many categories as you like. The nomination window is open now until the 30 June, so do get nominating!

We’re committed to keeping you and others safe. Although, we hope things won’t go wrong, being prepared if they do means we can all act quickly and look after ourselves and others.  

To make sure you have all the information you need, we have recently updated the Incident Reporting document which you will find in the ‘keeping you all safe’ section of the Volunteer Information Point. This includes information on what to do in case of medical and emergency situations and how to report incidents. This two-page document is a quick read and will ensure you feel more confident with what to do should you encounter a situation whilst volunteering at Guide Dogs. The update applies to all volunteers, so please take some time to familiarise yourself with this new guidance.

We are pleased to let you know that we have recently updated our Volunteer Agreement. The last update was over five years ago, so it was time to modernise the agreement to reflect the organisation we are today, the standards we want to uphold and our continued commitment to you.   

The Volunteer Agreement sets out the behaviours and actions you can expect from us, alongside the behaviours and actions we expect from you whenever you volunteer.   

The Volunteer Agreement is relevant to all volunteers, so please do read it carefully. You can find a copy on the Volunteer Information Point. If you have any questions about what the agreement means for you and your role, please speak to your volunteer manager.

The most recent Volunteer View survey was sent to you in September 2023, and a whopping 2,973 of you responded. You provided us with feedback and information that helps us to understand what we are doing well and where we can improve.

We are thrilled to hear 84% of you say that you enjoy volunteering at Guide dogs and would recommend us as a place to volunteer. The survey responses have however, also highlighted areas where we can do better, from these we have identified four key areas for improvement.

Read more about these, and see the full Volunteer View survey report summary.

To keep you updated on how we are progressing in these areas, we are very excited to introduce you to the new ‘You said, we did’ section of The Guide. This section will now be a regular addition each month and will focus on a different area of improvement based upon your feedback.

Our volunteer puppy raisers and fosterers have told us loud and clear that it is of utmost importance that they are kept up to date with the progress and onward journey of the dogs they cared for and that this makes a real difference to their experience volunteering with us.

We have been working hard behind the scenes to improve our processes around the communications you receive, and we are about to begin rolling this out.

If you are a current volunteer fosterer or puppy raiser, there is no action for you to take. You will begin to see us communicating more effectively with you moving forwards.

If you have previously cared for one of our dogs and think you have not received the correct communications about a dog you cared for, please contact Guide Line who will be able to provide you with this information.

You will be receiving more information about this soon but in the meantime there are some FAQ’s available. If you have any other questions, please speak to your local volunteer manager or call Guide Line on 0800 781 1444.

Whether you’re attending a local event to celebrate with Guide Dogs or hosting your very own tea party, coffee morning or bake sale, we hope you have a paw-some time! If you still want to join in the fun and host a fundraiser yourself, there’s not long left to get your hands on our free dog nose cake toppers and Labrador-shaped cookie cutter (while stocks last) on our website – so be quick!

If you’re a fundraising group coordinator and need some bits to brew the perfect fundraiser, head over to fundraising resources.

Every cake, cookie and crumb really does make a difference.

Guide Dogs’ flagship magazine, Forward, would love to hear from you if you’ve been fundraising for the charity in recent months. Whether you’re raising money on your own or as part of a group, the Forward team want to feature you in the magazine’s Thank You to our Supporters section. 

If you or your fundraising group would like to appear, please email details of your fundraising feats to forward@guidedogs.org.uk, or send them to Forward magazine, Communications Team, Guide Dogs, Hillfields, Reading Road, Burghfield Common, Berkshire, RG7 3YG. 

The deadline for the spring/summer edition is Tuesday, 2 April, and don’t forget to include a photo if you have one – like the Airedale and Wharfedale group (above) have done!

Paws on the Wharf, our free and accessible sculpture trail, will be unleashed this month in London from 25 March to 17 May.

There are 8 weeks to sniff out the trail and discover our 25 larger-than-life decorated guide dogs!

We’re hosting various events around the trail in Canary Wharf where you can come and join even more of the fun, including:

• 28 March – official launch day
• 12 April – join our Family Fun Day
• 24 April – Guide Dogs takeover day to celebrate International Guide Dogs Day
• 16 May – Farewell day – last chance to see our sculptures
• June – The wrap party and auction – your chance to buy one of our unique sculptures

Paws on the Wharf, our free, accessible guide dog art trail in Canary Wharf and Tower Hamlets, is launching on 25 March.

Lots has been happening at Paws on the Wharf HQ – here are some updates…

Our artists have been busy painting their sculptures! We have an amazing and diverse group of artists supporting our trail, including five who have lived experience of sight loss. From established to emerging artists, their talents span a variety of genres. You can read more about the artists on our Paws on the Wharf artists page.

We’re also aiming to make this one of the most accessible outdoor trails to date. Some of the ways the trail will be accessible are:

• Providing guides in alternative formats. 
• Using NaviLens technology to support people with sight loss to experience the trail.
• Offering some bookable sighted guide tours which include multi-sensory elements.
• The trail will be step-free and many sculptures have tactile elements.

Stay tuned to our website for news on other activities that will be happening during the trail. You may even get the chance to come and meet some of our life-changing dogs.

Make sure you save the date – we’d love to see you on the trail!

Fundraising Groups across the UK are making every cuppa count by hosting a tea party, coffee morning or bake sale and inviting service users, volunteers, and supporters to get together to celebrate our life changing work. 

If there is a fundraiser near you, you will receive your invitation to join by email on 22 March! Alternatively, if you’d like to organise your own Make Every Cuppa Count you can register here.

If you’re a Fundraising Group Co-ordinator, please visit VIP to find everything you need to Make Every Cuppa Count this 19 April.
 
If there’s a better excuse to get together, we haven’t heard it!

Some of our biggest and most impactful media coverage, such as BBC Breakfast’s report on puppy raising, local news reports about a busy family opening their home to a guide dog mum, or radio coverage featuring the amazing fundraising achievements of a guide dog owner (play from 1hr 55), features volunteers. Behind the scenes, our comms team provide help and support to get everyone involved ‘media ready’. This could be making sure volunteers have the latest Guide Dogs information, are confident in front of the camera or being interviewed, and overall feel well equipped to represent our charity. 

If you are approached to go on television or appear in other media such as radio or newspapers to discuss your volunteer role, it’s really important to let Guide Dogs know ahead of time by contacting our communications team at press@guidedogs.org.uk or on 0118 354 0580. 

By discussing the appearance with us, we’re often able to offer tips and support, and help with sharing the coverage so it reaches as many people as possible. If you have a dog or a puppy with you we can consider whether it would be beneficial to have specialist Guide Dogs support on hand on the day, we can see whether your media appearance may be able to tie in with any other press coverage we have planned, and that you are supported along the way. 

The media can be an incredible way for the public to learn about Guide Dogs and help us reach new volunteers or people who could benefit from our services. We have been extremely fortunate over the years to have many wonderful volunteers go above and beyond for Guide Dogs by appearing in local or national media – sharing your stories and experiences to spread the word and inspire even more people to join our volunteering community.

We always want more of our volunteers to share their stories and experiences of supporting Guide Dogs and we are often on the lookout for willing volunteers to represent us in the news. The key thing is to always contact our communications team in advance if you would like to share your voice on a subject linked to Guide Dogs. 
 
So please do let us know if any journalists etc contact you to be involved in any media stories or coverage – thank you in advance!

Did you watch our BBC Lifeline Appeal? On Sunday 28 January, Guide Dogs featured in the BBC’s first Lifeline Appeal of the year! Lifeline is a televised appeal that provides an opportunity to raise money and awareness of the breadth of Guide Dogs services which support people with sight loss throughout their lives.

The ten minute film was presented by our wonderful Ambassador, Wendi Peters, and featured three incredible people - Devante, Margaret and Eliza - who shared their inspiring stories. 

Viewers will learn how Devante, Margaret and Eliza are being supported by our vision rehabilitation specialists, life-changing guide dogs, and through our children and young people’s services. 

If you missed it, or want to see it again, you can watch it on BBC iPlayer.

Funds raised from the appeal will help us continue to help people like Devante, Margaret and Eliza. Ever pound raised will be matched by our trusted corporate partner, Petplan, up to a maximum of £20,000. This means by supporting today you can raise even more for Guide Dogs’ life-changing services. A huge thank you to everyone who has already supported the appeal. Your help allows us to continue providing life-changing support for people with sight loss throughout their lifetime.

Find out more about the appeal and the people taking part on our BBC Lifeline Appeal page. 

We are making some changes to volunteering ID cards, in order to make things simpler for you and also more cost effective for Guide Dogs.

As of 2 January 2024, new volunteering ID cards will have no expiry date.

This means that your ID card will be valid throughout your time with us, across all roles, without the need to update it unless you choose to, saving us money and allowing you the flexibility to move between roles without waiting for new ID card. 

Most volunteers will currently have an ID card with a printed expiry date - these cards are still valid so don’t worry, please continue to use them as normal.

When your existing card is due to expire, you’ll receive a new one (without an expiry date) and this will then be your one ID card throughout the rest of your time with us, unless you specifically request a new one.

This means, when no longer volunteering with us, we must ask you return your card to the address listed on it or to your local Guide Dogs contact. This is an important requirement as it ensures that only up-to-date cards for existing volunteers are in circulation at any time, which helps us safeguard the public, our service users, and other volunteers.

This January, Guide Dogs is being featured in a BBC Lifeline appeal to help raise funds for our life-changing work. 

The short film will showcase the breadth of Guide Dogs’ services which support people with sight loss throughout their lives, from childhood to adulthood.

Viewers will meet service users Eliza, Dee and Margaret, as well as some staff members and, of course, our wonderful pups – and learn how Guide Dogs is supporting each of them. The appeal, which will be presented by Martin Clunes, will air on BBC One in January and will be available to re-watch on BBC iPlayer.

Andrew was interviewed on last week’s edition of In Touch, the weekly BBC Radio 4 programme with news, views and information for people who are blind or partially sighted.

Presenter Peter White asked Andrew about some of the common issues that listeners contact the show about, including waiting times for a guide dog, the range of services we offer, and our guide dog training methods.

If you missed it, you can listen to the episode now on BBC Sounds.

We’re bringing accessible art trail Paws on the Wharf to Canary Wharf from 25 March to 17 May.

It’s an exciting free art trail showcasing 25 larger-than-life guide dog sculptures individually decorated by talented artists.

Presented by Guide Dogs and Wild in Art, supported by Citi and hosted by Canary Wharf Group and Canal and River Trust, Paws on the Wharf aims to raise awareness and vital funds for our life-changing work.

Save the date and tell your friends and family – we’d love to see you on the trail in celebration of our iconic guide dogs. It’ll be a great day out for all!

For more information, please visit Paws on the Wharf.

On 7 December, a guide dog mum named Puds fulfilled her Christmas destiny by giving birth to a litter at the most festive time of year. The proud four-year-old Golden Retriever welcomed nine healthy puppies.

Each puppy has a distinctive Christmas pudding-colouring, with one even sporting a white tail tip. This is thanks to their father, a handsome black German Shepherd named Shadow.

We are excited to welcome these future life-changers into the world – and very grateful to the volunteer breeding dog holders, puppy raisers, and fosterers who help make it all possible.

You can read more about Puds and her new puppies on the Guide Dogs blog.