Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Over 4 days in May I plan to walk the 100 mile South Downs Way from Winchester to Eastbourne for my chosen charity, Canine Partners.

Canine Partners is a registered charity that trains assistance dogs for people with physical disabilities. It receives no government funding and relies solely on public donations raising over £3million pa to support its work.

Last month I was fortunate to spend an afternoon at CP's Training Centre near Midhurst, West Sussex to witness first hand some of the amazing assistance dogs going through their advanced training programme under the guidance of the charity's highly skilled trainers. The dogs are trained to help with everyday tasks such as opening and closing doors, emptying the washing machine, picking up dropped items, pressing buttons and switches and getting help in an emergency. They also help their disabled partners by increasing their independence and self-esteem whilst bringing companionship, a sense of security and improved social interaction.

It takes approximately 18 months to train a canine partner from selection at eight weeks old through puppy training and advanced training until they are partnered with a person with physical disabilities. Each partnership has regular visits from the charity’s aftercare assistants and support and advice is available 24 hours a day. There are  training satellites across the UK where the pups are looked after by volunteers under the guidance of a Canine Partners’ trainer, during which time they learn obedience and some basic core tasks. When the pups are around 14-16 months old they come into either Midhurst or the charity's other centre in Loughborough for 17 weeks of specialist training to learn the advanced task work and to be matched with their future partner.

Canine Partners has over 400 fully trained dogs living with disabled partners in the UK. However as is the case with so many charities demand exceeds supply and there is currently a 2 year waiting list of partners looking to be paired up with an assistance dog.

With your generous support my target is to raise at least £5000 which will fund a puppy all the way through its training to the point where it is ready to live with its disabled partner. By sponsoring me you will be helping to transform the life of someone with a disability and those around them on whom they currently depend for care and support. 

I hope you agree that Canine Partners is a truly worthwhile cause and I thank you in advance for your kind support.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.