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.

Introducing our BBC Lifeline celebrity presenter and partnerships

If you’re viewing this page after 30 March 2025 and missed the live show, you can now watch our BBC Lifeline Appeal online!

To watch please visit this link or click the button below.

Thank you for your support!

We’d like to introduce you to Alan, Sean and Harriet. Three of our partnerships, partnered with our incredible canine partner assistance dogs, who will be featured on our BBC Lifeline Appeal in just 4 days.

Alan and canine partner Hamlin

Alan, who has Parkinson’s Disease, was partnered with Hamlin in 2015.

“Having Hamlin has genuinely changed my life for the better in all ways. He’s got a cheeky character and he’s always happy to help from the moment I get up. I can’t sneak out of a room without him noticing, although I have tried! He’s just amazing.”

Sean and canine partner Lucas

Sean, who has Multiple Sclerosis (MS), was partnered with Lucas in 2018.

“Lucas will take things to my wife, Josie, or the children, for example quite often Elsie will forget her dolly downstairs and she has it for bedtime. Whilst before there wasn’t much I could do to help, now I can ask Lucas to go and take it to her which makes me feel great. I feel more independent and less incapable now that I have Lucas.”

Harriet and canine partner Fevro

Harriet, who has a neurological condition, was partnered with Fevro in 2019.

“Being matched with Fevro has opened the world up to me again. He has given me the confidence to go out on my own and gain my Masters Degree. I can never express how much Canine Partners means to me.”

These three partnerships are just a few of the around 300 disabled people who currently have one of our amazing dogs. Support we receive from appeals like our BBC Lifeline help us to transform the lives of more disabled people across the UK and provide vital support to those who already have one of our canine partner assistance dogs, canine home assistants and canine companions.

We are thrilled to finally announce who our BBC Lifeline Appeal presenter is!

Known for her iconic roles in the Harry Potter films and Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, she is a true cinematic legend…

Her accolades include a British Academy Film Award, an International Emmy Award, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards, along with numerous nominations, including two Academy Awards, nine Golden Globe Awards, and five Primetime Emmy Awards… Truly a Hollywood superstar!

Have you guessed?

It’s Helena Bonham Carter!

Helena’s connection to Canine Partners makes this partnership extra special as her family has been involved with the charity from the very beginning. We will share some behind-the-scenes photos soon, but for now we hope you’re as excited as us to have Helena help us fly the purple Canine Partners flag!

Watch our BBC Lifeline Appeal on Sunday 30 March 2025 at 12:50pm. Don’t forget to save the date in your calendar by clicking the button below, you’ll then receive a notification when it’s time to tune in!

Save the Date for Our BBC Lifeline Appeal This March!

If you’re viewing this page after 30 March 2025 and missed the live show, you can now watch our BBC Lifeline Appeal online!

To watch please visit this link or click the button below.

Thank you for your support!

Mark your calendars because the appeal will air on Sunday 30 March on BBC One. Exact timings will be confirmed closer to the broadcast date, and the appeal will also be repeated on BBC Two a week later.

This special appeal will highlight some of the incredible individuals at our charity, including our partners with their assistance dogs. Get ready for plenty of adorable puppies and dogs in training – it’s a TV show you won’t want to miss!

Stay tuned for more details, including the announcement of our celebrity presenter. In the meantime, be sure to save the date by clicking this link*:

Share the love

Will you be watching? We have shareable social media assets ready for you to spread the word on Facebook, Instagram, X, or any other platform you use!

If you have any questions about the appeal or any feedback when it airs, please contact our Marketing Communications Team on news@caninepartners.org.uk

*Please note, this is a third-party calendar invite that will automatically add the appeal date to your diary in the phone, tablet or laptop you are browsing on.

Canine Partners’ Christmas Carol Services raise over £9,000

With heart-warming partnership stories, festive readings and beautifully sung Christmas carols – we are so pleased the events were a huge success!

Our extra special guest, Julia Donaldson, read The Hospital Dog and The Christmas Pine at our Arundel Carol Service, which was enjoyed by all in attendance.

The charity’s fantastic Demonstration Dog Teams wowed the crowd by showing the practical tasks our amazing canine partner assistance dogs can do, and they even handed out posies to special guest readers!

What paw-some nights – raising over a whopping £9,000! See more in the photo gallery below!

Thank you to everyone who attended and to those who made the events possible. We are so grateful, and because of you we can transform more lives.

Missed out this year? Keep an eye on our events listings and social media for more events in your area.

Amazing funds raised by West Sussex Golf Club

Back on 7 September, West Sussex Golf Club Captain’s charity day, members and guests came together to raise money for Canine Partners. The charity day includes games of golf, raffles, a silent auction and a demo from our amazing Dog Demonstration Team.

The West Sussex Golf Club’s charity day raised a staggering £13,348.21 for Canine Partners! A cheque presentation held earlier this month on 18 November, showcased a huge cheque where the incredible funds were presented to Canine Partners.

A massive thank you to West Sussex Golf Club for their amazing fundraising, we are extremely grateful.

Abseiling down the Spinnaker Tower: Lorraine’s fundraising story

Abseiling down the Spinnaker Tower: Lorraine’s fundraising story

65-year-old Lorraine, who lives in Fareham, abseiled 100m down the Spinnaker Tower to raise vital funds for Canine Partners. This is her story:

“It all started when we tragically lost our beloved eldest son, Michael, to a spinal injury. While Michael was fighting for his life in hospital, his wonderful friends set up a Just Giving page for him that raised more than £30,000.

“After the unthinkable happened and he passed away, we had to decide where the money raised would go. We split it between three charities: two of which were close to Michael’s heart and the third being Canine Partners.

“After reading about the amazing work of the Canine Partners, I was staggered by the huge difference that a canine partner assistance dog can make to the life of a disabled person. Had Michael lived, he may well have eventually benefited from one of these incredible dogs.

“In 2018, I was delighted to visit the Southern Training Centre to see how the dogs are trained and we were honoured to have a puppy called Monti sponsored in Michael’s name.

“This year, Michael and I would have reached a combined age of 100 – him 35 and me 65. I wanted to mark the occasion by doing something outrageous (outrageous for me, anyway!) for charity. My friend suggested abseiling down the Spinnaker Tower, but she didn’t let me do it alone. Another close friend joined us, and we each raised money for our charities of choice.

“You asked about training – well, there wasn’t any until we were hanging off the side of the tower! That’s probably deliberate because it’s too late to back out by then! Luckily, the weather was fabulous, so we didn’t have to battle with wind or rain. We all managed to get to the bottom and, although it was undeniably scary at times, we thoroughly enjoyed the challenge.

“I started my fundraising with a target of £1000, which quickly raised to £1300. The fund currently stands at more than £2000! It has been an absolute pleasure to support this wonderful charity.”

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

RHS Tatton Flower Show

We were delighted to be running the shop and drop again at the RHS – Royal Horticultural Society Tatton Flower Show 19-23 July.

Here’s our CEO Alex helping out, along with some of our amazing volunteers!

We had plenty of visits to our stand enabling people to learn more about the life-changing work Canine Partners does. We also had some people let us look after their new purchases while they enjoyed the show.

See you next year?

Our first Open Mornings at our National Training Centre

Thank you to everyone who attended our Open Mornings at our National Training Centre.

In August we had our first post-covid open day, and we were delighted to see so many new faces who were interested in finding out more about the vital work we do. Thankfully the rain held off and everyone stayed dry during the tours!

Following another two successful open days in September and October we are excited to prepare for more in the new year!

Watch this space and keep an eye on our events page

Leicestershire Community Impact finalists

We were delighted to be shortlisted for The East Midlands Chamber Leicestershire Business Awards under the category of Community Impact which recognises businesses, charities and social enterprises that have developed and implemented social responsibility policies as part of their overall business planning. The other finalists are Beaumont Shopping Centre (Savills), Duncan & Toplis, Focus Charity and Mosaic 1898 with the winner to be announced at a Gala dinner on Friday 3^rd November.

David Watson Corporate Relationship Manager said,

We are incredibly proud to be shortlisted under the category of community impact for the East Midlands Chamber Leicestershire Business Awards. We have a huge impact on our local communities in Leicestershire, as well as nationally across the UK, by the training of assistance dogs to support adults with disabilities, as well as providing aftercare during the lifetime of a Canine partnership. Being shortlisted for this award recognises this vital work and also the incredible dedication and commitment of our staff and volunteers, as well as recognition for all our partnerships who have benefited from our assistance dogs. I am sure everyone connected with Canine Partners will be celebrating if we win the award on 3 November.

Further information can be found here

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: