After graduating as a Guide Dog partnership in July, Pebble (pictured above) and I will be celebrating the huge difference Guide Dogs UK make by hosting a bake sale to raise money for the charity on Tuesday 19 September.

Walking around with Pebble has allowed me to leave my house without the panic and anxiety which was starting to creep in after I lost the majority of my sight, and the feeling of freedom and independence she has given me has been more valuable than I can describe. Getting around can still be difficult, but I now have the reassuring knowledge that I'm going to be okay and can get out of tricky situations.

Guide Dogs UK support thousands of people living with sight loss in the UK in a variety of ways, including by training and providing guide dogs and supporting guide dog partnerships. This is a process which requires large amounts of resource, and supporting a guide dog from being a puppy to retirement costs around £55,000. Every pound we raise can make a difference, for example:

1. £3 could pay for a microchip for a new guide dog puppy;

2. £8 could support a working guide dog partnership for a day;

3. £16 could buy a coat for a puppy in training;

4. £25 could pay for an hour’s training for a guide dog; and

5. £50 could buy a Puppy Raising Kit for the volunteers who look after the puppies during their first year.

We hugely appreciate every pound you donate to this special cause.

Fran Cadoux-Hudson