Story
Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
I am an 86 year old war veteran and former steelworker, hoping to raise hundreds of pounds for Support Dogs. I am also the oldest person to run the race. I have raised around £10,000 for good causes over the years and am looking forward to take taking part in the great Yorkshire run for the 3rd time. It took me one hour and 45 min last year, but I'm hoping to improve on that time this year. I started running after I had a heart bypass operation 13 years ago after suffering a minor heart attack and now train 4 times a week and eat 10 not 5 portions of veg per day .
Support Dogs are the only Yorkshire based Assistance Dogs Charity bringing independence, self-esteem and improved quality of life to families and communities whose lives are restricted by physical disabilities, autism and epilepsy enabling individuals to carry out tasks that would otherwise require the support of a career.
They do this by providing three main projects:
• Disability Assistance Dogs can help with tasks such as dressing/undressing, loading/unloading washing machines, opening/closing doors, picking up keys and retrieving medication.
• Seizure Alert Dogs are trained to detect and give up to a 40 minute warning to an oncoming seizure, which enables the client to get to a safe and private place which in turn reduces the risk of serious or life threatening injury. Studies have also shown up to a 43% reduction in Grand Mal seizures through the provision of a Support Dog. Alongside this, the ability to get to not only a safe place but a private place reduces the impact of the social stigma attached to the condition which can cause considerable demoralization, frustration and anxiety.
• The Autism Assistance Dogs assist children by helping them relate to the world and keep them safe in public places. This project has been shown to give families the chance to re enter the world and take part in everyday activities with their child. Families have also reported a significant increase in social and communication skills.
It has also been shown that increased independence through the deployment of a Support Dog releases family members from their roles as primary carer and in many cases can enable them to return to paid employment, therefore reducing poverty and social deprivation and improving family life and relationships.
In addition to the above benefits we have evidence that Support Dogs can provide a significant reduction in demands placed on statutory provision. This can represent a saving of up to £157,248 per year to the tax payer for someone who requires full-time care, or £56,160 for part-time care, compared to the £12,000 it costs to train a dog to provide care for an average of 8 years of its working life. So every £1 donated to Support Dogs may have a social return on investment of up to £105.
Support Dogs services are provided free of charge and they receive no government funding ,relying entirely on donations.