Walk in the park
– celebrating the lives and honouring the memory of our legacy supporters.
You are standing at the entrance to a British park on a sunny morning, there are some white fluffy clouds above and the sky is bright blue. There is a path in front of you to explore. Just along the path on the left is a lady wearing a bright yellow top and blue jeans, and wearing a backpack. On either side of the path are stretches of fresh green grass that are dotted with tall trees and some benches, and groups of people are sitting on the grass enjoying the weather together. Further along the path on the right hand side you can see a lake.Thank you for joining us to celebrate the lives of the amazing people who have so far left a gift in their Will to Guide Dogs. As you walk through the park, you’ll meet family members and friends who will share why their loved ones chose to leave us such a special gift. You’ll also hear from some of the people who have been helped by incredible legacies like these.
Leaving a legacy.
You have walked through the park gates and started walking along the park path. As well as the tall trees you can now see some pretty wildflowers. They have colourful petals, some are pink, some yellow and some orange. You are now closer to the lady with the backpack. There is a man sitting on the park bench reading a book, a boy playing with his dog in the grass, a family enjoying a picnic in the grass and a boy flying his kite by a lake.Our legators are at the heart of what we can do. Nearly two out of three of our life-changing guide dogs are funded by the gifts that are left in Wills. Over the past 90 years, we have trained the equivalent of one guide dog every day, which is largely thanks to people choosing to include Guide Dogs in their Will.
Each one of the beautiful, blooming flowers you will see along your walk represents one of over 75,000 legators who, over the last 90 years, have helped so many people with sight loss to live the life they choose.
Harold’s story, told by his nephew, Adrian.
You have walked further into the park along the path and alongside the lake. You are still surrounded by green trees and wildflowers, and on the left hand side of the path is a bench which doesn’t have anyone sitting on it. You meet Adrian who is walking along the path towards you. Adrian is a man with short brown hair and he is wearing a buttoned-up shirt that’s a deep blue colour, as well as some navy blue trousers and a pair of trainers. Behind Adrian the path is clear. Adrian is telling you a story about his uncle Harold."My uncle Harold always worked outdoors. He loved the sight of flowers, trees, and birds. He thought that if a person had lost their sight, how wonderful it would be to gain some independence back with a guide dog - to have outings and enjoy nature. That's why he decided to leave a gift in his Will to Guide Dogs."
Guide dog owner Joan’s story.
You are in the same location in the park. Adrian has now walked past you and Joan and her Guide dog are standing in front of you Joan has very light brown hair and is wearing black glasses. She is wearing brown trousers, a yellow top with a bright blue jacket and yellow shoes. Her Guide dog has a coat of golden blonde hair and is wearing a luminous green harness. Joan is telling you her story "Guide Dogs has given me three wonderful guide dogs: Betty, Daisy and Whispa. The freedom and independence my guide dogs have given me means I have the chance to just be myself and live my life the way I want to. I particularly enjoy walking holidays in the Lakes. I wouldn't have been able to do this on my own, without my amazing guide dogs by my side."
Iris’s story shared by her daughter Michelle.
You have walked further into the park along the path. It is now midday and the sun is still shining down onto the trees. There are lots more bunches of pretty wildflowers on either side of the path. You are introduced to Michelle who is also walking along the path towards you with a cup of coffee in one hand and a brown handbag over her shoulder. Michelle has ginger hair and is smiling. She is wearing orange trousers, a long sleeve blue shirt with maroon sandals. Michelle is telling you a story about her mother Iris."My Mam, Iris, lost her sight due to macular disease. She had been an excellent seamstress and needle woman, an avid reader, flower arranger and accomplished artist. All these skills, which she loved and enjoyed, were taken with the degeneration of her vision and she was passionate about helping others whose lives were affected by sight loss. It was for this reason she decided to leave a gift in her Will to Guide Dogs."
Jean’s story.
You are in the same location in the park. Michelle has now walked past you and Jean is walking along towards you. Jean has short grey hair and is wearing black glasses, a light brown jumper, dark brown trousers and light brown shoes. She is smiling and is using a walking cane which has white tips at either end. Jean is telling you her story."Caroline from Guide Dogs taught me how to use a long cane to do things like getting up and down steps and finding kerbs. We also worked on regular routes to places like my local doctor’s surgery and the post office. Even without a guide dog, I’m happy that I can now live life without being worried about not being able to get out on my own. I’m much more confident and outgoing than I was when I first started to lose my sight. There is a good chance my sight is going to get worse over the next few years, but even if that happens, I know that I have the skills in place to help me cope."
Bridget’s story, told by her friend and executor Steve.
You continue to walk along the path. There are still tall green trees and bunches of multi-coloured wildflowers on either side. Steve is walking towards you. Steve has a beard, brown hair and is wearing glasses. He is carrying a coffee cup in one hand and his phone in the other. He is wearing light brown trousers with a black belt. He is also wearing a grey collared-shirt with a dark purple cardigan. He is carrying a brown duffle bag over his shoulder. Steve introduces himself to you and begins telling you a story about his friend Bridget."My friend Bridget loved dogs. She was a vet and always wanted to help others. She also bred dogs herself; in particular, chocolate labradors. This love of dogs combined with the fact that members of her family, including her beloved grandfather, suffered from poor sight, meant she was especially passionate about supporting Guide Dogs. That was why she left them a gift in her Will."
Rubin’s story, told by his mum Eve.
A bit further along the path you come across a young boy and his mum and their Buddy Dog. The mum is standing up with her arms crossed and smiling at you. She is wearing a red floaty top with blue jeans and brown heeled boots. Her hair is ginger and is pulled back in a ponytail. The boy is sitting on the grass with his legs crossed and stroking his dog’s face. He is wearing a green t-shirt and yellow shorts and has short brown hair. Their dog has a blonde coat of hair and is wearing a blue Guide Dogs jacket. While the boy and dog play, the mum, Eve, introduces herself and starts to tell you a story about her son Rubin."Vesper is my son Rubin’s buddy dog and came to live with us last year from Guide Dogs. He's already such an important part of our family - we all love him! He’s given Rubin more confidence when we go out and about. If we stop for a rest while Vesper is off the lead, Vesper comes straight back to check that Rubin is OK. At home, Vesper enjoys cuddles with Rubin and if he’s tired, they lie next to each other on the floor. Rubin and his sister, Molly love spending time in the garden with him playing tug of war or fetch."
John’s story, told by his stepdaughter Sarah.
You continue to walk through the park along the path. It is now midafternoon. On the left hand side of the path there is an empty bench. There are more wildflowers than you’ve seen so far, they are dotted all along the grass on both sides of the path. A lady who has been exercising in the park introduces herself to you and says her name is Sarah. Sarah is wearing blue exercise leggings, purple trainers and a zipped-up light grey jumper. Sarah begins telling you a story about her stepfather John."My stepfather, John Weeks, was a gentle, modest, kind man. He was philanthropic, generous and caring. He was a pragmatist, a frustrated engineer and inventor with an enquiring mind and the home and garden were always full of quirky Heath Robinson-type inventions.
He was always in awe of service animals that provided everyday solutions for disabled people to lead more independent lives and he keenly supported Guide Dogs which is why he left a gift in his Will."
Rik’s story.
In the same position of the park a man and a lady walk towards you. The man tells you his name is Rik and introduces his My Sighted Guide Partner who is a volunteer trained by Guide Dogs. Rik has short black hair and black glasses. He is wearing a blue jumper with a white shirt underneath. He is wearing dark brown trousers and light brown shoes. He is using a black walking cane. His sighted guide partner, Louise, is wearing a blue Guide Dogs top, brown cropped trousers and navy blue shoes and has long brown, curly hair. Rik is telling you his story."My family is everything. But everyone needs a space of their own in the world too. I'm doing things now that I've never done before. The My Sighted Guide service has opened a new world to me, and it feels like an adventure. I'm excited for what's next."
Jill’s story, told by her husband John.
You continue to walk down the path and through the park. It's now late afternoon and the sun is starting to set and the sky is turning to a beautiful pink hue. There is only one tree on either side of the pathway, beyond that there are stretches of grass covered only in a mix of colourful wildflowers. You approach a bench on your right hand side. Sat on the bench is an elderly gentleman who tells you his name is John. John is wearing a navy blue cap, a light brown jacket, navy trousers and light brown shoes. John would like to tell you a story about his late wife Jill."My late wife Jill always had a love of animals being a farmer's wife and had numerous dogs during her life. Several years ago, I started to sponsor a guide dog for her, which she loved and felt this was a wonderful opportunity to give something back.
Her health deteriorated sadly, but the last event she was able to attend was Guide Dogs open day where she met puppy raisers. She was so pleased to contribute to Guide Dogs and had no hesitation in leaving a small legacy in her Will."
Charles’ story.
In the same position in the park, you now see a man walking towards you with his Guide dog. The man introduces himself and says his name is Charles. Charles has short brown hair, a short beard and is wearing black glasses. He is wearing a red top with a white collar. He is wearing navy blue trousers and light brown shoes. He is holding his Guide dog’s handle. His dog has blonde hair and is wearing a bright green Guide Dogs harness. Charles would like to share his story."Guide Dogs has supported me in various ways throughout my younger years and early adulthood with mobility and orientation training, support through the My Guide Service and providing me with my guide dog, who is a 7-year-old Labrador/Retriever cross, Carlo. Growing up with sight loss, I knew I was going to have additional barriers put up in front of me, but the confidence and empowerment Guide Dogs has given me has helped me gain a degree, employment and most importantly, my own independence - I truly can't thank them, and everyone who supports them, enough!"
This beautiful field of flowers honours and celebrates those who have left a gift in their Will to Guide Dogs.
You have continued to walk through the park and you now reach the end of the path. It is almost the evening and the sun is starting to disappear behind the hills. You are now surrounded completely by beautiful wildflowers in a peaceful meadow.Each individual bloom represents these supporters, who gave us the gift of a future to help people with sight loss live independently, actively and well. Thank you for walking through the park with us to pay tribute to our incredible legators and the lives they have helped to change.
Request your Life Changers pack to see how a gift in your Will can support those living with sight loss. Together, we can write the stories of the future.
Thank you to all the families and friends of our legators for sharing their wonderful stories with us, helping us create this beautiful page to honour the lives of all our legators.
Please note that the images of the friends and families of our legators and our beneficiaries are for illustrative purposes only.
You can hear more about the ways gifts in Wills make a difference in our Legacy TV advert Where Will Your Gift Lead, which shows and celebrates the impact leaving a gift in your Will can have, not only at the important life milestones, but in the small day to day moments.