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.”

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.”

We were delighted that Pets Corner’s instore and online Christmas campaign in 2023 raised an incredible £18,985 through 30p donations from their customers.

The amazing team at Pets Corner, a Platinum Level Corporate Partner as part of our Business Club, then matched these donations, meaning that a grand total of £37,970 was raised and donated to Canine Partners.

David Watson, Corporate Relationship Manager at Canine Partners, said:

Pets Corner also donate a proportion of the sale of their ‘Leaping Petey’ dog toy and eco bag sales to Canine Partners – how amazing!

Thank you to all the amazing customers at Pets Corner who donated and to Pets Corner, who matched the donations so that an incredible £37,970 was raised for Canine Partners!