Brave fundraisers take on abseil challenge for assistance dog charity

THRILLSEEKERS took to the sky above London to abseil down the ArcelorMittal Orbit to raise vital funds for national charity Canine Partners.

Those brave enough to take part in the abseil on Sunday 19 August hung in free space 80 metres above the ground at The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

“The abseil experience was everything and more than I expected,” says Rubina Savage, a 75-year-old grandmother from Nottingham, Nottinghamshire.

“The fact that I did it for Canine Partners made me really proud of myself and of all the others that took part.”

The charity, which has a training centre near Osgathorpe in Leicestershire, trains assistance dogs to transform the lives of people with disabilities, boosting their confidence and independence.

The dogs are taught a range of everyday tasks including picking up and fetching items, opening doors and dressing a person. They can even help use a washing machine and they can fetch help in an emergency.

“Events like the ArcelorMittal Orbit abseil are so important as not only does it give our existing supporters something incredibly exciting to experience but it helps us to reach out to a brand new audience who may never previously have heard of the charity,” says Helen Watkinson, Head of Community and National Fundraising for Canine Partners.

“Over the last two years we will have raised in excess of £50,000 through the abseil, which is staggering and will help us to create two more amazing partnership and be well on our way to creating a third.”

Canine Partners receives no government funding and relies solely on donations from the public, legacies and fundraising events like the London abseil.

Each life-transforming partnership costs £20,000 for the charity to create, from selection as a puppy right through to the dog’s retirement at around 12 years old.

If you would like to take part in a challenge for Canine Partners, please visit caninepartners.org.uk/challenges/