Express & Star

Nursery children raise £500 to sponsor three guide dog puppies

Nursery children at a Wolverhampton school have raised more than £500 to sponsor three guide dog puppies.

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Pictured with Flora the guide dog are Isla, three, Esmae, four, and Anya, three

Youngsters at Wilkinson Primary School took part in a sponsored walk around the school’s grounds in Bilston, and collected £551.20 for the charity Guide Dogs.

The idea came about after, in their lessons, the children were looking at how different animals help people. They were also watching videos and reading about animal charities.

As part of the project they received a visit from Carol Trigg and her guide dog Flora – which prompted them to launch their fundraising appeal.

Headteacher at Wilkinson Primary Christina Gibbon said: "Everyone at Wilkinson feels privileged to have met Carol and Flora. Hopefully the money raised will go a small way to support such an amazing charity."

Councillor Claire Darke, Wolverhampton council's cabinet member for education, added: "It’s great to see nursery children not only learning about the importance of guide dogs, but also completing a fundraiser which will help train up three guide dog puppies – well done to them all."

Guide Dogs UK Charity for the Blind and Partially Sighted helps raise money and awareness for so people with eyesight impairment can enjoy the same freedom of movement as everyone else.

It costs £5 per day to support each working guide dog partnership and there are about 5,000 guide dog owners in the UK.

The lifetime cost of a guide dog is around £55,000.

To help further visit guidedogs.org.uk