A very royal visit to our Southern centre has many tails wagging!
Posted 7 years ago
We have a very special visitor coming to our Southern training centre on Thursday 30 November.
On Thursday 30 November, we will be welcoming a very special guest to our Southern Centre – Her Majesty The Queen.
The Queen will have the opportunity to meet members of staff, trustees, volunteers and partners. She will meet a number of our young dogs and their volunteer puppy parents as well as dogs who have just embarked on their advanced training at the centre.
To get a flavour of the amazing tasks our dogs can do, she will also view a live demonstration from our demo team. This will showcase the dogs’ abilities to support a disabled person in leading a life of greater independence. From opening and closing doors and retrieving dropped items to helping their partner get dressed and undressed, a canine partner truly transforms lives.
During her short visit, Her Majesty will also view the accommodation used by partners who are undertaking their onsite training course, beginning their incredible journey with their assistance dog. She will hear first hand from two partners currently on their course about how they are looking forward to taking their canine partners home and how their lives will be forever changed.
Our Chair of Trustees Jackie Staunton has said:
“It is such an honour for us to welcome The Queen to our training centre in West Sussex and we are delighted that she will be unveiling a plaque for us on the day too.
“We have just reached an outstanding landmark figure of 400 active partnerships across the UK, having created over 750 since we were founded in 1990. Her Majesty will unveil a plaque stating our achievements in 2017 in reaching our 750th partnership and this will bear as a fantastic memory of her visit. Much like when her grandson, Prince Harry, visited us in 2010.
“Our staff and volunteers are incredibly excited for Her Majesty’s visit as are our partners who fortunately for them are on their onsite training course at the time. It will certainly be a memorable time for them.
“We hope that The Queen will enjoy meeting everyone on the day and our dogs too, including one of our super cute and fluffy 11 week old pups.”
We very much look forward to welcoming Her Majesty to the centre and are certain she will enjoy the day.