The local branch of charity Guide Dogs, which organises community events and collections to help raise much-needed funds, is urgently looking for new volunteers in Spelthorne. The charity relies on donations to keep its vital services running and has suffered with the impact of Covid-19 putting a dent in much of their face to face activities over the summer.
Guide Dogs has local fundraising groups all across the country. This means that people can volunteer in their local communities and make a difference while getting involved with a fun and positive group. While lots of activity is still happening online, some groups are able to get out and about in market stalls by following the charity’s Covid-safe guidelines.
Nadia, a current Guide Dogs volunteer fundraiser, says:
“I am a guide dog owner and I have also been a volunteer speaker and fundraiser for guide dogs for the last two years. Having my guide dog has been transformative to my life and being given the opportunity to share my story with others has given me the chance to give a little bit back to the charity that has helped me so much.
Being partnered with my guide dog has empowered me and enriched my life and the same can be said for being a volunteer. Through volunteering for Guide Dogs, I have had the opportunity to strengthen the skills I already have and meet lots of brilliant people who have now become friends.
I have had the chance to appear on a radio show and be part of an exhibition in a local museum. Knowing that whatever little I can do can ultimately help to transform someone else who has a visual impairment, means a lot to me. I highly recommend volunteering to anyone who is interested.”
There are around 2 million people living with sight loss in the UK. Guide Dogs supports people with a visual impairment to maintain their independence and live the life they choose. There are lots of different services on offer, ranging from the iconic guide dog service, through to children and young people’s services, access to technology, and volunteer-led services such as My Sighted Guide (a two-legged guide rather than a four-legged one!)
To support the running of these services the charity relies on an army of incredible and dedicated vol-unteers, and in Spelthorne they urgently need a dedicated coordinator to lead the group.
Rachael MacLoughlin, Regional Volunteering Advisor for Guide Dogs says:
“We’re delighted and incredibly fortunate to have over 17,000 volunteers who support us within various roles. Our fundraisers are a crucial part of the Guide Dogs Family, with not only raising vital funds for our life-changing services but also helping to spread the word in their local communities about what Guide Dogs do and how we support people living with sight loss.
Our volunteers tell us their top motivations for volunteering are to make a useful contribution and to support people living with sight loss. In fact, according to our latest volunteer survey (2019), 71% of volunteers strongly recommend volunteering for Guide Dogs. Therefore, if you’re looking to make a difference then please visit our website to find out more about our volunteering roles. We look forward to hearing from you.”
Whether you have lots of spare time or just an hour a week, the group has room for anyone interested in getting involved. Full training and support is provided. To apply go to https://www.guidedogs.org.uk/volunteer or call the local team on 0345 143 0224.