The CPR Cup 2023 – Another huge success in raising donations for Canine Partners.

On what felt like the hottest day of the year, Friday 16 June, a team from Canine Partners, including CEO Alex Lochrane, made their way over to Battersea Powerleague for a fun day full of football at CPR’s annual fundraising tournament.

The event, organised by London-based property recruitment consultancy Collins Property Recruitment, is the leading five aside charity football tournament for teams in the property sector in support of Canine Partners, last year having raised a whopping £16,152. This year’s event was sponsored by CC Land, with event partners LonRes and PrimeResi.

The money raised this year, which is still coming in and approaching £15000, will continue to support their sponsored Canine Partners dogs, Jeffery, who has now been partnered with a disabled person, and puppy-in-training, Howard.

Although no dogs or partners were able to attend this time due to the very high temperatures, that didn’t stop the participating football teams from trying their best to bring out their inner Ronaldo. 12 estate agent teams from across London fought it out to get the #1 spot. Ultimately with a very competitive final between Savills (2019 winners) and Foxtons (2022 winners), Savills took gold and became the 2023 CPR cup winners.

The awards ceremony saw the runners up getting their trophies presented by Barry, CEO and founder of CPR and Canine Partners CEO Alex, along with winners Savills raising the big winners’ cup with cheers from all the crowd.

A great day was had by all, including a delicious food served up by Meat Street BBQ. Hopefully all the teams went home high on adrenaline and ready for next year!

Special thanks to CPR, CC Land, LonRes, PrimeResi and all the teams to took part this year:

Beauchamp Estates
Carter Jonas
CBRE
Chestertons
DDRE Global
Douglas & Gordon
Dutch & Dutch
Foxtons
Hamptons
JLL
Knight Frank
Savills

You can see the photographs from the event here:

Amazing Corporates

Caremark Ltd

We were delighted to welcome Caremark Ltd Joint CEO Lisa Fyfe to our Training Centre near Loughborough to meet with our CEO Alex Lochrane. This was Lisa’s first visit to the centre – she toured the facilities and heard a talk from one of our wonderful partnerships.

Michael George, Director at Caremark Chelmsford and Uttlesford recently took part in Ford RideLondon-Essex 100, which involves cycling 100 miles. Michael raised an incredible £1050 for Canine Partners.

David Watson, Corporate Relationship Manager said: “It was wonderful to welcome Lisa to our Training Centre. We are very excited about our relationship with Caremark Ltd, to date they have raised £10,000 in donations and we are delighted that Caremark are sponsoring one of our future assistance dogs, Fudge, who is currently living with puppy parents. We look forward to meeting more of the Caremark team at our Training Centre where they will be able to hold team meetings, as well as undertake Corporate Volunteering Days.”

Birds Bakery

In 2022, we were chosen as Birds Bakery’s Charity of the Year. This amazing partnership ended in April 2023 and we are delighted to share that they raised an incredible £53,479.90 for Canine Partners by selling dog themed cupcakes, paw print lollipops and donating the money raised from the sale of their in-store plastic bags.

This money will make a huge difference to our work in training assistance dogs to support people with disabilities across the UK.

Lesley Bird Chief Operation Officer at Birds Bakery said: “As a family run business, community is one of our core values and we always endeavour to help those who need it the most and give back to those who support us. Canine Partners transforms the lives of people with physical disabilities by partnering them with assistance dogs – even playing a small part in this work through a donation is something we’re so proud of, and we know our customers are too. We have thoroughly enjoyed working with and supporting Canine Partners over the last year.”

Purina

Purina are a long standing corporate partner of Canine Partners and we are very grateful for their ongoing support for the charity. We joined the Purina Annual Conference in London where we engaged with Purina employees and celebrated the special partnership we have with them.

Purina employees hosted a fundraising day with a dog cuddle club and dog show, raising over £500 for Canine Partners. Earlier this month (June 2023) Purina employees raised funds for Canine Partners by walking over 23 miles on the South Downs Walk.

Priya Hamilton, Corporate Affairs Manager at Purina Petcare said: “Purina are proud to be a corporate partner of Canine Partners for over 20 years. During this time we have sponsored their dogs and created many life changing partnerships together. We’ve undertaken fundraising activities, offered our volunteering time and sponsored various events. A wonderful charity to support, which really transforms the lives of disabled people by the provision of specially trained dogs”

This summer, to raise awareness of the positive impact the pet human bond can have on mental health, Purina is launching their ‘Changing Lives Together’ campaign for Canine Partners. The campaign showcases Canine Partners people and dogs to raise awareness and vital funds for the charity and will be on social media during June and July. Find out more here.

Kew Electrical

Our amazing corporate supporter Kew Electrical has organised four golf days across the UK this summer to raise funds for Canine Partners. Two of these golf days have already raised more than £2,500 and we would like to thank all the employees, guests and suppliers of Kew Electrical who are taking part.

All the funds raised from the Kew Electrical Golf Days will support the training of their sponsored dog Kew (pictured left).

Pets at Home VIP Lifeline Vouchers

We are very grateful to the Pets at Home customers who choose Canine Partners to be the recipients of VIP Life Line Vouchers. The vouchers are used to purchase toys and treats for our assistance dogs in training, as well as help us create starter packs to give to our new partnerships.

It is vital that we have the right equipment so that we can continue to train our dogs to the highest standard and ensure all of their welfare needs are met. Pets at Home VIP Lifeline Vouchers help us to achieve this and we would be thrilled if you could choose Canine Partners to benefit from lifeline points. Find out more at petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/vip

Pictured below: Darwin enjoying some down-time in between training sessions with his snake toy purchased using Pets at Home VIP Lifeline vouchers.

Festive fundraising roundup

Smashed it!

Thanks to our wonderful supporters, we smashed our target for The Big Give Christmas Challenge 2022, hitting £60,000 in only five days! An incredible achievement! With the support of our champion, Candis Club and some of our generous funders including The Sherling Charitable Trust, all donations to the appeal were doubled. We are thrilled to have raised over £61,300 in total, helping us to build a brighter future and focus on our vision, that every disabled person lives their life to the full. Thank you to everyone who supported the Big Give Christmas Challenge 2022.

Little life-changers

Puppy Gregg didn’t know he would grow up to be a life-changer. Our winter appeal followed Gregg’s story to becoming the amazing assistance dog he now is, to his partner Rebecca. Thank you to everyone who donated to our appeal to help fund our puppies, like Gregg, to take their next steps. Our latest litters of puppies, born just a few weeks ago, will be getting ready to start their journey – our Little Life-changers Appeal is still open if you’d like to donate to support their next steps too.

Wonderful corporate partnerships

We are so lucky to partner with amazing organisations and companies who generously support our charity. We’ve had some brilliant and diverse fundraising initiatives over the festive period last year, successfully raising awareness, and many thousands of pounds, for Canine Partners

Sharing the joy with Pets at Home

Featuring a short film of partner Lauren, with her canine partner Fliss, Pets at Home launched a special seasonal campaign, featuring Wainwrights Christmas selection and celebrating sharing the joy with your pets at Christmas. Pets at Home are donating a fantastic £20,000 to Canine Partners in support of this campaign. David Watson, Corporate Relationship Manager at Canine Partners says “Pets at Home are a strong supporter of the work of Canine Partners. This support will very much help us to continue training and providing assistance dogs to adults with disabilities.”

Pets at Home have also been fundraising for Canine Partners in two special communities as part of their Santa Paws Campaign with all kinds of fundraising activities in and around the stores in Mansfield and Chichester – our huge thanks to all who got involved.

Pet’s Corner Christmas campaign

Long-standing corporate partner Pets Corner celebrated their 10^th year supporting Canine Partners by asking customers to donate 30 pence at the checkout when making their purchases. Pets Corner generously matched all these donations. David Watson, Corporate Relationship Manager said, “We are delighted to receive such incredible all year round support from Pets Corner and to match all customer donations during their Christmas Campaign in support of Canine Partners, was incredibly generous. We would like to thank all the amazing Pets Corner team and their customers who donated to support our vital work.”

Christmas with our community

Our team were delighted to turn Canary Wharf purple at the end of November with a successful day of amazing demonstrations from our wonderful dogs, generous donations and delighted passers-by.

Christmas Carol Series

We hosted three Carol Services at three beautiful locations, to celebrate Christmas 2022. We were supported by many generous donors and supporters who supported us in many different ways. Our talented Demonstration teams showcased the skills of our amazing dogs, to the delight of everyone who attended.

Our particular thanks go to David Wilson Homes, Headline Sponsors of the Edensor Carol Service, Purina, Headline Sponsors of the London Carol Service and Pets Corner, Headline Sponsors of Arundel Carol Service.

Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who attended our carol services. Your commitment in joining us for these events, particularly during the very cold weather, is hugely appreciated and thanks to your support, they were truly magical occasions.

Our first carol service, on 7 December, was at St Paul’s Church in Knightsbridge, London. This was a new venue for us this year and our sincere thanks go to the team at St Paul’s Church, Amanda Wakeley, OBE for her wonderful reading, and to HRH Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO for giving his time to join us for the evening. Special thanks too, to our dedicated fundraiser Sarah Cleaver, who secured so many wonderful supporters such as Wild at Heart, Pet Pavilion, Berry Bros & Rudd, The Lady, The Dog House, White Coco, Country & Town House, WagWorks, Dundas Lifestyle, Auriens, Canaccord, Bamford Ltd, Jigsaw and Waitrose Belgravia.

For our second carol service, on 9 December, we were delighted to return to St Peter’s Church, Edensor, for a wonderful evening of celebration.

Our final carol service, on 15 December, was in the atmospheric surroundings of Arundel Cathedral. This service has become a firmly established tradition with the Cathedral and our community and our thanks to everyone who joined us at this sold out event.

Canine Partners to receive Christmas support from Wainright’s

With Christmas just around the corner, it’s a very special time for us to share time with our families and pets.

Wainwrights have partnered with Canine Partners to celebrate sharing the joy with your pets this Christmas and help you and your dog make the most of the festivities together.

By stocking up on treats and gifts for your four-legged friends this Christmas from the Wainwrights Christmas selection, available at Pets at Home stores across the UK , not only will your dog be sure to thank you, but you’ll be helping make a positive, life changing impact on those living with a disability. That’s because Pets at Home will be donating £20,000 to Canine Partners.

We are also extremely proud that the main stars of this campaign are Lauren and her canine Partner Fliss, who celebrated this partnership with Wainwrights in the promotion video below:

David Watson Corporate Partnerships Manager at Canine Partners said, “ Pets at Home are a strong supporter of the work of Canine Partners, supporting our work via their Foundation and MY VIP Club. We are delighted to be receiving an additional £20,000 this Christmas from the sale of the Wainwrights Gift Selection, this support will very much help us to continue training and providing assistance dogs to adults with disabilities. Thank you also to Lauren and her Canine Partner Fliss, who participated in a promotion video for this Christmas campaign which will run in a selection of Pets at Home Stores across the UK. ”

Purina employees raise funds for Canine Partners by walking the Seven Sisters!

Our long standing corporate supporter, Purina, not only funds our work and offers discounted food for our dogs, its employees also help out at our events and even take on challenging fundraising activities for us – all because they believe passionately in the amazing support our dogs provide.

Recently a team of 23 employees from Purina undertook the Seven Sisters Challenge, a grueling walk from Seaford to Eastbourne over 24km and 200 flights of stairs. Through determination, courage and team work they completed this tough challenge, raising an incredible £1,838 for Canine Partners.

David Watson, Corporate Relationship Manager of Canine Partners said: “Purina is the perfect example of a corporate partner whose employees have seen first-hand our vital work, which has motivated them to do their own brilliant fundraising challenges to support us. Their latest efforts on the Seven Sisters Challenge are truly inspiring – I’m sure it was definitely no walk in the park!! Every single one of their employees who completed this 24km walk contributed to the raising of an incredible £1,838, which will help us to continue the training of assistance dogs for disabled adults – Thank you Team Purina – I hope you’re all as proud of your achievement as we are to have your support!”

Could your company fundraise for Canine Partners? To find out more and get inspiration for your next adventure, please visit caninepartners.org.uk/take-on-a-challenge

Pets Corner Christmas donation campaign raises over £24,000 for Canine Partners

We recently heard that customers raised £12,120.55 and Managing Director, Dean Richmond, has matched the entire amount! We have just received a huge £24,241.10. This completes a record breaking year which has raised over £38,400, the highest so far.

We want to send a huge thank you and our appreciation to Pets Corner as we enter the 10^th year of our partnership in 2022. We are looking forward to celebrating this very special year!

Thatchers Foundation supports Canine Partners in Somerset

Canine Partners has several beneficiaries in the South West and we were delighted to receive this commitment from the Thatchers Foundation. It will provide continued training, advice and round-the-clock telephone support for the coming five years for one of our Somerset beneficiaries. Having this funding secured will help us to carry out this vital work and to continue to work towards re-opening our waiting list to new applicants.

Each partnership created by Canine Partners is supported for its full working lifetime and when our wonderful assistance dogs are nearing retirement, we work closely with our beneficiaries to provide a successor dog if they wish to have one.

The charity relies on donations and gifts to carry out its work around the UK and we are extremely grateful for this most generous multi-year funding from the Thatchers Foundation.

Transforming Lives with the Pets at Home Foundation

A huge thank you goes to the Pets at Home Foundation who have given us a £50,000 grant towards our Financial Assistance Fund.

This donation will go a long way towards giving our partners a greater quality of life through our Financial Assistance Fund.

The fund provides a vital safety net that supports the health and welfare our Canine Partners’ assistance dogs should our clients become unable to pay for on-going costs such as insurance and parasite treatment as well as veterinary treatment outside of claimable insurance costs. This often means the life-transforming partnership that they have with a disabled person can carry on.

Could your company offer corporate support, gifts in kind or nominate us as your Charity of the Year? Find out more about corporate support at caninepartners.org.uk/corporate

Kew Electrical Limited raised £1,500 at Golf Day

On 21 July 2021 Kew Electrical Limited held a fundraiser at Haywards Heath Golf Course and raised £1,500 in aid of Canine Partners.

Volunteer Nick Poole fielded a team and represented us at the event. CEO and founder of the company, Geoff Kerly, is celebrating 25 years in business and has produced a book charting the history of Kew Electrical, which are wholesale electrical distributors, with a suggested donation of £5 in aid of Canine Partners.

A huge thank you goes to Geoff and MD Nik Mulcahy for supporting us for the past 14 years, raising over £44,000 for the charity and sponsoring the training of many canine partners.

A corporate charity partnership with Canine Partners is an amazing way to make a lasting difference to the lives of people with physical disabilities. Find out more here.