When life gives you scraps – make a quilt!

It was a fabric frenzy at Aztec Threads in Horley over the weekend of 17th and 18th September, when locals were invited to help create a large quilt to be raffled off in aid of Canine Partners.

Volunteers were encouraged to bring and cut fabric for the quilt and to help sew it together.

In true Blue Peter style, here’s a quilt made earlier, modelled by Karen from Aztec Threads and volunteer Pat – with pup Jared also on hand to provide his approval!

Also in attendance on both days were Philippa and her canine partner Zindzi, plus Eileen and her canine partner Icharus made an appearance on the Sunday along with volunteer Beverley and pup Hettie, puppy parent Clinton with pup Niamh and Graham with his canine partner Yukon.

As well as creating the raffle prize quilt, lap quilts and dog quilts were also worked on – as expertly modelled above by Hettie!

Raffle tickets were also sold on both days with all proceeds going towards our Charity. A big thank you is also due to the Horley branch of Barclays Bank who agreed to match the funds raised, as well as playing host to a coffee morning on 16th.

Wall to wall sunshine for Canine Partners cream tea

Whilst the Saturday set up was dampened by pouring rain, the sun came out just in time on Sunday for the big event! A glass of bubbly, delicious homemade cakes and cream tea in fine bone china were on the menu for the 60 guests who were also treated to a walk around the lovely gardens. Raffle prizes were up for grabs which included a breakfast, lunch and day spa treatment for two at Careys Manor.

The event raised just over £1,500 for our Charity, and all guests went home with a lovely gift of homemade chocolate and a doggy bag of leftover cake!

Thank you once again to all of the volunteers, in particular Alison Bailey for running this fab event. We would also like to thank all of those who donated to Canine Partners for their generosity.

Celebrations all round thanks to pupils of Thomas’s School Fulham for £78,000 donation

Nearly a year of fundraising has generated a staggering £78,000, allowing the school to make an outstanding contribution to our vital work.

Thomas’s School chose us as their Charity of the Year 2015/16 after Chair of the PTA, Anna Boucher, saw our amazing dogs in action. Throughout the year there have been a series of fundraising activities including selling ice creams, a quiz night, Christmas Fayre, Spring Fair and dog show plus a summer ‘Wild West’ ball. We carried out a thank-you ceremony and cheque handover from Thomas’s School on Thursday 28^th July.

Anne Yendell director of fundraising and marketing at Canine Partners comments, “We are truly impressed and grateful for the fundraising efforts put in by Thomas’s School. Any amount people can raise is always appreciated, yet these kinds of figures can really make a difference. I cannot thank the pupils, staff and parents of Thomas’s School enough and look forward to discussing which areas of our work they would like to support with the funds.”

Already, Thomas’s school has used £20,000 for a Gold dog sponsorship package. This means they have been able to name a puppy and sponsor it through its entire working life. A little black Labrador puppy is therefore called Thomas and the school will be following his training, which began in January this year. Later Thomas will progress into advanced training and further down the line be matched with the person he will assist.

Anne Boucher comments, “The pupils have really engaged in supporting Canine Partners and understanding the importance of fundraising. Our visit from demo dog Toffee was a particular highlight, especially as they got to see first hand what tasks these dogs can do to change the lives of people with disabilities. We are eagerly following Thomas’s journey and look forward to seeing what comes next!”

[Pictures show (top) Thomas’s pupils and teachers with Thomas (bottom) Anna Boucher with canine partner in training Thomas]

A big thank you to St Annes Fellowship

The group were keen to hear about the individuals we support and how our dogs are trained and matched to their partners.

Generous donations were made at the end of the talk plus an enthusiastic commitment to spread the word about Canine Partners.

An invite to one of our information sessions was given so that members could met real dogs, though the lovely Ike and Kia, modelling their purple jackets, were well received by all present!

Val said: ‘These dogs are remarkable, making such a difference to disabled people’s lives’.

Picture is of Val Roach, Barabara O’Prey and Mairi Aston, with Ike representing the charity!

Canine Partners and Pawshake 2016

Pawshake was founded in 2010 by Dries Coucke and Tanguy Peers, fuelled by a shared passion for using the internet to make meaningful connections and to improve pet and owner lives.

Under the charity partnership, The Pawshake Community will reach out to its sitters to ask for help volunteering at fundraising and awareness raising events. Pawshake’s Katy Summer was a guest judge at the Charity’s Summer Show on Saturday 2 July, a vital role on the day.

Head of Donor Development Cat Harvey said: “We are very grateful for Pawshake’s enthusiastic support for Canine Partners and we hope that many of the Pawshake community will be able to come and volunteer and to spread the word about our work. We look forward to the year ahead.”

For further information about Pawshake please visit their website.

Chandler’s Ford Methodist Women’s Fellowship meet demo dog Humphrey

Everyone from the group was over the moon to meet the amazing Humphrey and to witness his many skills, including his problem solving abilities when the keys were thrown into a very inconvenient place!

Over tea and biscuits the ladies asked many questions and were very keen to have their picture taken with handsome Humphrey.

Sincere thanks to the Fellowship for their generous donation to the charity and their commitment to spread the word about the charity.

If you’d like a talk or Canine Partners demonstration at your club or group meeting, then please get in touch with our Education and Awareness team who can arrange this for you. You can find out more about our talks in our education section.

Supporters brave the weather for Canine Partners tea party!

Plenty of delectable cakes were on offer to reward their commitment and tea was drunk by the gallon.

Many Canine Partner volunteers kindly came along to spread the word about the charity and the two Tina’s also managed to put on two excellent demos in the homely surroundings of the bedroom! A few people managed to view the garden in between showers but in general it was more ‘open house’ than ‘open garden.’ As well as tea and cake, there was a raffle and bric a brac stall which all together raised a staggering £731 for the Fareham fund raising group.

Thanks must go to an amazing team of dedicated volunteers, to Carol of Sainsburys Waterlooville for her kind donation of cake and dog biscuits, to all those who donated cakes and raffle prizes and of course, to all the wonderful people who came along and gave generously to the charity.

A big thank you to Haslemere Beavers

To help support the eager group, two of our supporters, Bev and Sheena, went along to tell them all about how our amazing dogs are trained and used to assist a person with a disability, particularly someone in a wheelchair.

Not only did the group listen really well and enthusiastically tackle some activities to test their knowledge but they also raised a fabulous £61 for our charity that will go towards training even more amazing assistance dogs. They raised the funds by completing jobs for friends and family for £1 a job.

Sincere thanks to Stef, Claire and Eliza, the group leaders for inviting us along and for introducing us to this fantastic group.

A big thank you to Animal Care students at Brinsbury College

Our team, including Sarah and her demo dog Hamlet, went along to the college to talk about Canine Partners’ work, our many partnerships and how we train our dogs.

Hamlet was obviously the star of the presentation who demonstrated some of his fantastic skills.

Students from the college raised £131 for our charity from their fundraising efforts and everyone at the presentation received plenty of licks of thanks from Hamlet!

Said a representative at Brinsbury College: “Our involvement with Canine Partners was a fantastic way to encourage students to think about the role of animals in society”.

We’re looking forward to returning to the college next year to meet the next group of Animal Care students.

Rebecca takes on tough 250km desert running race

Rebecca, 37, from Leicester, but now living in Birmingham, started taking on the Marathon des Sables 2016 race in southern Morocco on Friday 8 April along with around 1,300 other extreme runners from across the world.

The student paramedic hopes to raise £750 by completing the equivalent of five and a half marathons in six days for Canine Partners.

Rebecca said: “I saw the Marathon des Sables on TV in my teens and thought it looked like an amazing race, something only for the elite. I want to prove to myself and others who don’t consider themselves as “proper” runners that anything is possible. The mind is a powerful thing and if I am nothing else then I am very strong willed!

“Preparation was disrupted by foot injuries and niggles as well as the usual work-life struggles having recently taken on a new career.

“I first became aware of Canine Partners when Valiant came to my former workplace as an assistance dog for Sarah. Shortly after I was on Remembrance Parade in Leicester with my Reserve Unit and at the head of the parade was a veteran with his assistance dog. I decided then that my next charity race would also be in aid of Canine Partners.

“I have my own dog, Brindle, who lives with my parents and seeing how she has helped keep my dad active since he retired following a knee replacement shows just what a positive impact a dog can have on our lives. Canine Partners do amazing and tangible work.”

Sian Wilson, Event and Challenge Co-ordinator for Canine Partners, said: “Rebecca is undertaking a phenomenal challenge and is certainly going the extra mile to raise money for Canine Partners.

“Canine Partners does not receive any government funding and relies solely on donations so all the money Rebecca raises from this incredible feat will enable us to partner more disabled people with our amazing assistance dogs.”

The Marathon des Sables, which is ranked by the Discovery Channel as the toughest footrace on earth, is a grueling multi-stage adventure with rules which require runners to be self-sufficient in carrying everything on their back except water that they need to survive. Participants are given a tent to sleep in but any other equipment and food must be carried.

To sponsor Rebecca visit www.justgiving.com/Rebecca-Drackley2mds.

To find out more about taking on a challenge in aid of Canine Partners visit our challenge page, call 01730 716013 or email sianw@caninepartners.org.uk.