Watch our BBC Lifeline Appeal presented by Helena Bonham Carter

Our BBC Lifeline Appeal went live on BBC One on Sunday 30 March 2025.

This special appeal, presented by Hollywood superstar Helena Bonham Carter, highlighted some of the incredible individuals at our charity, including our partners with their assistance dogs, adorable puppies and dogs in training.

It’s a TV show you don’t want to miss!

If you missed the live appeal on the TV, don’t worry! You can watch it now on the BBC website here or by clicking the button below.

Thank you for watching our BBC Lifeline Appeal and sharing it with your friends and family.

Over the past 35 years, we have transformed over a thousand lives. The impact extends far beyond, as friends, families, and communities also benefit from the independence and security provided to their loved ones. Supporting Canine Partners in our 35th year will open doors for more disabled people, helping them to live more independent and fulfilling lives.

Coastway Vets raise £2,938 with 27-mile walk for Canine Partners

We want to say a huge thank you and well done to the team at Coastway Vets, from Sussex, who have raised a phenomenal £2,938 for Canine Partners with a sponsored walk.

The team challenged themselves to a 27-mile walk, which took 10 hours to complete, starting and finishing their walk in the dark.

Jay Lisher, Veterinary nurse at Coastway Vets said: “We are blown away with how generous everyone has been and we want to say a huge thank you to the clients, colleagues, friends, and family who supported us and helped us raise such a great amount for a very worthy charity. Canine Partners is such an amazing charity to support and it meant so much to the team how much the community got involved”.

This generous donation will help us to continue the creation of life transforming partnerships, now and in the future.

Could you take on a challenge to help us raise money to continue our life-changing work? To find out more please visit: caninepartners.org.uk/challenges

CPR cup 2024!

We are delighted to announce that the leading five-a-side football tournament for the property sector, The CPR Cup 2024, in support of Canine Partners raised an incredible £23691.25! – A record year for this incredible event.

There were sixteen teams (also a record number) and the winners were Foxtons with the runners-up Dutch & Dutch, who had the top goal scorer and player of the tournament. Foxtons have attended every CPR Cup since it launched in 2019 and have never missed the final, an amazing achievement. This is the second time they have won the coveted CPR Cup.

This tournament would not have taken place without the drive and determination of Barry Collins, Founder and CEO of Collins Property Recruitment and his amazing team. We also extend our thanks to C C Land, Headline Sponsors, Forsters LLP for sponsoring the BBQ and event partners LonRes and PrimeResi Journal for their prizes and continued support of this event.

Millionaire makeover

National Lottery winners worth over £35M have finished a pawsome makeover of a bungalow at our National Training Centre.

Thirty winners took part in the ‘millionaire makeover’ using many of the skills they trained for before winning their life-changing millions. The holiday home will provide an opportunity for our partners and their families to have use of fully accessible holiday accommodation at our National Training Centre in rural Leicestershire.

The home will offer a new facility for partners who often face difficulties in sourcing accessible and affordable holiday accommodation. The bungalow will also generate income for the charity to help fund the training of more dogs.

The bungalow was transformed both inside and out. Inside winners painted, built specialist furniture, put up blinds and lights, made beds and furnished rooms. Outside fences were painted, gates repaired, patios jet-washed, the lawn was mowed, even a dog-friendly herb garden was planted and for one winner it was an opportunity to reconnect with Canine Partners.

Michelle Edwards, from Devon, won £1.9M in 2008 and after quitting her job she became a ‘Puppy Parent volunteer’ for Canine Partners. She said, “I’ve always loved dogs and after seeing Canine Partners I became a ‘Puppy Parent volunteer’ in 2009 and was handed Golden Retriever puppy, Xagan, just two years after becoming a millionaire. It’s such a fulfilling role and I’m delighted to be helping out with my fellow National Lottery winners and transform this bungalow which I know will be loved by many visitors.”

The charity has received various support from the National Lottery over the years. Canine Partners CEO Alex Lochrane said, “A huge thank you to The National Lottery winners and our other generous supporters including Simon Taylor Roofing, who have worked tirelessly to help transform our partners bungalow. As a charity we rely totally on the support and goodwill of people and organisations to train our life-changing assistance dogs. But our relationships don’t end there. By now having this bungalow refurbished and available to our partners and their families, we can not only generate vital income but also stay in touch with those families long after our dogs have been placed.”

Canine Partners charity trustee Miriam Bentley-Rose, who is partnered with canine partner, Laurel said, “I know how difficult it is to find affordable and accessible holiday accommodation for my needs. Their work will make a huge difference to not just Canine Partners, but also to the many families who will spend quality time in our bungalow for many years to come. The hard work done by these National Lottery winners is simply priceless.”

David Wilson Holmes awarded Platinum Business Club status

Canine Partners has awarded David Wilson Homes the esteemed Platinum Business Club status following five years of support and £298,679 in donations.

During a recent event at Canine Partners to say thank you, the charity’s CEO, Alex Lochrane, presented the Platinum Business Club award to John Reddington, Managing Director at David Wilson Homes East Midlands. An unveiling of a plaque to celebrate the homebuilder’s renovation of the charity’s staff bungalow also took place.

In addition to the financial contributions, David Wilson Homes helped build the Kennels at our National Training Centre, participated in volunteering days, and assisted with landscaping to create more accessible areas across our site for wheelchair users.

David Watson, Senior Corporate & Community Partnerships Manager at Canine Partners, said: “We are delighted to have received the support of David Wilson Homes over the last five years with £298,679 in donations to support our vital work.

“Most recently the company renovated our staff bungalow at our National Training Centre, covering all the costs and materials as a gift in kind to the charity. This project will assist us in our growth as a charity from one purpose-built and modern training centre, with the bungalow now providing a flexible working and meeting space, and accommodation for our staff and volunteers.”

Wing walking at 84: Belinda’s fundraising story

84-year-old Belinda lives in Bedfordshire and is doing a wing walk to raise funds for Canine Partners. This is her story:

My husband David passed away last year after a long struggle with multiple disabling illnesses. His life was made easier and more fulfilling thanks to his canine partner, Crunchie – a wonderful Labradoodle with a big personality, who was specifically trained to assist with everyday activities.

David and Crunchie were inseparable, but sadly, Crunchie became ill in 2022 and had to be put to sleep. Losing his loyal helper and friend was a devastating blow for David, and a light went out in all our lives.

After David’s passing, I knew I wanted to do something to honour his memory and support the charity that had brought so much joy and independence to our lives.

I’ve seen firsthand how these amazing dogs can transform lives. That’s why, on 3 May*, which would have been David’s birthday, I’m going to do a Wing Walk at Old Warden near Bedford to raise money for Canine Partners.

I know it sounds like a crazy idea, especially at the age of 84, but I’m determined to take on this challenge to support a cause that means so much to me.

Ten years ago, I did a Sky Dive to raise money for Canine Partners, and I’m hoping that this new challenge will be just as successful in raising funds and awareness for this wonderful organisation.

I’ve set myself a target of £5,000 – whether you can donate a little or a lot, every penny counts.

Your generosity will help Canine Partners continue their vital work and provide more assistance dogs to people like David, who need them most. I’m grateful for your support and for helping me honour David’s memory in such a meaningful way.

*Belinda’s wing walk has been postponed to 2 August due to bad weather conditions.

To sponsor Belinda, please visit: www.justgiving.com/page/belinda-day-1707325792822

Running the London Marathon: Debbie’s fundraising story

58-year-old Debbie, who lives in Warwickshire, is running the London Marathon to raise vital funds for Canine Partners. This is her story:

“It was several years ago, when I attended a social group, that I first heard about Canine Partners. A lady who attended the group was a Puppy Parent volunteer for the charity and would bring the puppy to the group. At the time, we had our own dogs, but I thought it was a lovely thing to do.

“A few years later, my husband retired, and we had sadly lost our dogs. The house felt empty, so we initially thought of adopting an older dog, but then we remembered about Canine Partners. We did our research and saw what a difference a dog could make to the life of a person living with a disability. We contacted Canine Partners, and within a few weeks, our first puppy arrived – we have been Puppy Parent volunteers ever since!

“My goal is just to enjoy the atmosphere in London, so I’ve put no pressure on myself for a finish time – I’m not a runner, just passionate about this amazing charity! I’m following a training plan involving running four times a week.

“Me and my husband David ran the London Virtual Marathon in October 2021, raising £1000 for Canine Partners. This time, I have a fundraising target of £2000, which is currently at £1270.”

To sponsor Debbie, please visit: www.justgiving.com/page/debbie-de-ville-1686659675949

Could you fundraise for Canine Partners? To find out more and get inspiration for your next challenge, please visit caninepartners.org.uk/get-involved/fundraising

100 Tuggy Toys for puppies in training

We would like to say a massive thank you to our volunteers Mel, Jane and Harriet for their amazing work in creating a huge amount of tuggy toys for our dogs in training!

A special thanks goes out to St Peter’s Church, Mancestter where the community donated fleece blankets, jackets and dressing gowns to help us volunteers complete their tuggy toy mission. The fabric donated was used to make an incredible 118 tuggy toys! These toys are now on their way to our Puppy Parent volunteers!

There is even some fabric left over so the mission continues!…

Thank you to everyone involved!

Photos of Melanie & Harriet, with her Canine Partner Fevro, plus OJ & Myrtle, Canine Partner Dog Ambassadors.

Our first annual Thankathon

From all of us at Canine Partners, we would like to say a big thank you for supporting us and our mission. This year, we have organised our first-ever Thankathon day to show our appreciation for invaluable supporters.

Your commitment to our cause and your willingness to support us is truly commendable. With your contribution, we can continue training and partnering our amazing, highly skilled assistance dogs. Our partnerships transform the lives of people with disabilities and help to provide independence and companionship.

Thanks to your help, we currently have 319 active partnerships working across the UK today, and we have created over 900 partnerships in total in the past 33 years. None of this would have been possible without you.

Once again, thank you for your incredible generosity. Your support has enabled us to extend our reach and make an even greater impact on the lives of individuals with disabilities.

Thank you.

Amazing corporates

Incredible Purina

Our amazing Platinum Level Corporate Partner Purina raised an incredible £128,710 for Canine Partners with their Purina Changing Lives Campaign, which highlighted the power of the pet-human bond to positively impact people’s mental and physical health.

Digital assets featuring our amazing partnerships were created and increased our digital visibility via Good Loop. A percentage from the sale of dog food on Amazon was donated to Canine Partners and the inspiring fundraising efforts of Purina employees, including a dog show, cuddle club and walking the South Downs National Park, all played a part towards raising this incredible sum of money.

Celebrating our partnership with Caremark Ltd.

Our fundraising team visited the HQ of our Platinum Level Partner Caremark Ltd to celebrate our partnership in 2023. The Caremark team presented a cheque for their annual donation of £10,000 raised from their employees undertaking fundraising activities.

This will go towards supporting their assistance dog in training, Fudge.

Corporate Support for annual Carol Services

We would like to extend our thanks to both Greggs and Birds Bakery for providing the mince pies for our Loughborough and Arundel Carol Services. The service in Arundel was also sponsored by our long-standing corporate partner Pets Corner. Their support helped to make both services a huge success, with the paw-some nights raising over an incredible £9000!