Taxi firm gives donation to support training of six guide dogs
A private hire taxi firm has made a generous donation to support the training of six guide dogs across Shropshire and the West Midlands.
The Guide Dogs charity for the blind and partially-sighted has, like many others, suffered a drop in donations because of lockdown and as the taxi operator Go Carz – part of the Veezu Group – offers guide dog-friendly transport, the business has stepped in to help out.
Graham Hoof, regional director of Go Carz, said: “Guide Dogs is a charity that does great work within the local community.
The group has taken a knock in financial donations during this pandemic as well as having to operate on skeleton staff, because of limited numbers being allowed in the same space as well as some staff having to self-isolate.
“About 250 people a day lose their sight in the UK – that’s a person every six minutes. Two million people are already living with sight loss and this is set to double by 2050.
“We therefore hope this cash donation will go some small way to alleviate the pressures on the charity.”
The firm’s gift will pay for six £140 starter kits to support new guide dog owners with training.
Enrichment
It costs as little as £3 to microchip one of the charity’s new guide dog puppies.
Mary Conner, community fundraising relationship manager for Guide Dogs, said: “It was great to talk to Go Carz staff about the importance of allowing access for Guide Dogs and to hear how seriously staff training is taken.
“While our volunteer community fundraising groups haven’t been visible during Covid, the public are still being very supportive.
"The pandemic has led to a decrease in income and we are extremely grateful to Go Carz for their generous donation.
“Volunteers from the Guide Dogs family have also done their upmost to support, with many continuing to provide puppy enrichment in their homes.
"Our volunteer puppy walker and fundraiser, Sue Nicholas, and dog Maci have been working through early training.”
Less than one per cent of our income comes from government funding. We have recently launched our Christmas Appeal and 12 Guide Dogs of Christmas, which includes lots of ideas on fundraising while social distancing.
