From 10-18 June is Bike Week, the biggest nationwide cycling event in the UK. It aims to promote cycling and its many benefits for everyone – and it’s a message we can get behind!
In October of last year, we held our first Pedal for Paws event at our southern training centre in West Sussex. It was a huge success, with over 100 participants and over £4,000 raised. Now we’re gearing up for Pedal for Paws 2017, returning to our southern centre but also taking the event to our centre in the Midlands, too!
Canine Partners’ national events officer Sian Wilson said: “After the success of last year’s Pedal for Paws in the south we are thrilled to be taking this event to the Midlands so that even more people can take part and help us change lives for the better.
“It should be a fantastic day – giving people a fun challenge and the chance to soak up the sights of Leicestershire’s countryside.”
Last year, Invictus Games gold medalist and former RAF aircraftsman Mike Goody took part and said: “I loved taking part in last year’s Pedal for Paws – it was absolutely fantastic.
“There was a great atmosphere on the day and it was amazing to see so many people supporting Canine Partners.
“I can’t wait for it to return so I can get on my bike again in support of this life-changing charity.”
Bike Week is a great opportunity to dust off the road bike and get some practice in for this year’s event. So whether you want to improve your finish time from last year, or want to try our cycle routes for the first time, sign up for a place now!
The Textile Art Challenge is back again this year, and we have already seen plenty of wonderful pieces of art from you so far!
The challenge invites people to stitch, paint and glue using a fabric pack you can buy from our online shop. Once you have finished your Textile Art Challenge project, you can send it to us and we will exhibit it – all funds raised from the exhibition will go towards transforming the lives of people with disabilities by providing them with a specially trained assistance dog.
So you can really make a difference whilst letting your creative juices flow!
Last year we raised an incredible £2,000 , but this year we want to go even bigger – we’ll need your help, though!
Here are just a few of the Textile Art Challenge projects in progress that we’ve seen so far to inspire you – from framed masterpieces to cute cuddly toys…
Over 100 people took part in our very first cycling event Pedal For Paws which was held at our Southern centre in Heyshott on Sunday 9 October.
Cyclists of all abilities took on the challenge of cycling 16, 29 or 52 miles to raise money for Canine Partners. It was a beautiful day taking in the stunning surroundings of the South Downs, with all participants taking home a shiny Pedal for Paws medal.
An army of volunteers were on hand to marshal the cyclists and hand out snacks en route, and some of our partners and their dogs were lined up to congratulate the cyclists at the finish line as well.
Amongst those spectating at the event was Sally Whitney from Brighton, and her canine partner Ethan. Sally said:
“I love being part of CP events as there is such a community atmosphere. It was fab seeing the cyclists pedal through the finish line, especially knowing they had put in so much pedal power on behalf of people like me who benefit massively from having a canine partner. Everyone was shouting and waving at the cyclists to help cheer them on. There may have been some whooping on my part and jumping up and down on Ethan’s”
There was a fantastic buzz on the day, and we are delighted to announce that we raised over £4,000 which will help us to train more amazing dogs to transform the lives of disabled people. A big thank you to everybody who took part and to everyone who helped to make the event a great success!
It’s not long now until Pedal For Paws, our first cycling event to raise much needed funds for us to train more amazing dogs to support people with disabilities.
Cyclists of all abilities are invited to embark on a 16, 29 or 52 mile route around the beautiful South Downs and are encouraged to seek sponsorship for taking on the challenge.
Director of fundraising and marketing Anne Yendell has said:
“This is the first time we have organised our own cycle event so the whole team is really excited. Cycling is a popular sport and one that can get the entire family out in the fresh air enjoying wonderful scenery. So what are you waiting for? Get on that bike and help us raise money to change the lives of more people with disabilities.”
Early registration entry fees start at £20 for an adult and £10 per child – you can also purchase one of our jerseys as part of the package. Advanced tickets can be purchased up until Friday 30 September, with remaining tickets available at an increased cost on the day.
You can watch our short video about the event below which stars demonstration dog Doyle. If you’d like to sign up to take part visit: https://caninepartners.org.uk/pedalforpaws
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.
Canine Partners’ Information Sessions allow people to see our dogs in action, meet partnerships and hear first-hand how their lives have been transformed by our amazing dogs.
Our sessions are open to everyone and we can accommodate large groups from schools, clubs and organisations.
The introduction of evening sessions at both our Southern Centre and Midlands Centre will hopefully offer a chance to anyone working full time to come along and find out about us.
Both sessions start at 7pm with a 6.30pm arrival time and will offer tea, coffee, biscuits and cake to those attending.
We hope they will be popular and so to avoid disappointment please be sure to let us know you’re coming as soon as possible.
Our team served up a treat at our Midlands Centre in Osgathorpe on Saturday 16 April.
All money raised from the event will help us train more assistance dogs and transform the lives of people with disabilities, including wounded servicemen and women.
Helen Watkinson, Midlands Regional Fundraiser for Canine Partners, said: “The fact we raised £786 really is the icing on the cake. The atmosphere was great and everyone enjoyed themselves.
“Canine Partners does not receive any government funding and relies solely on donations. The money will enable Canine Partners to change the lives of more people with disabilities through our amazing assistance dogs.
“I am really proud to be part of a fantastic team of volunteers who took the time to help with this event and gave 110 per cent on the day.”
Canine Partners has numerous Information Sessions at their Midlands Centre to find out more visit our Information Session pages.
Art-lovers were able to purchase creative pieces at The Angel Inn in Midhurst during the four day exhibition which took place between 18-21 February. The hotel was very generous in hosting the event enabling all proceeds from the sales to go to our Charity.
Organiser of the challenge Olive Rowell, who was one of a team of 60 chosen to embroider the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding dress under strict confidentiality at the Royal School of Needlework in the lead up to the Royal wedding in 2011, challenged people to buy a pack of 25 fabrics and use all of them, in whole or part, to create a finished piece which most people chose to donate to the exhibition.
All proceeds from the £10 pack went to Canine Partners.
Olive, from Haslemere, said: “The joy of this challenge was it was totally inclusive and anyone could take part whatever their ability. On one hand there was an exhibit from a special needs school and the other end of the spectrum there were semi-professional artists. This meant we sold items from £5 to £195 so there was something for everyone. I am now looking forward to next year when we can challenge even more people.”
Kay Gilmore, Regional Fundraiser at Canine Partners, said: “We are grateful to everyone who has been involved in Canine Partners Textile Art Challenge.
“Canine Partners does not receive any government funding so the money raised will enable us to continue our life-transforming work.”
Our demonstration team kicked off the four day event at the NEC in Birmingham by showing hundreds of people the tasks our canine partners can carry out for their disabled partners, such as opening and closing doors, emptying the washing machine, undressing their partner and even helping them transfer from a bed to wheelchair.
Throughout the four days we had a team of demo dogs on hand for members of the public to stroke, witness tasks and ask their handler questions. Many even made donations by giving their money to the dog to put in the bucket!
One of our partnerships Wendy Hilling, who has a genetic condition called recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (EB) which means the slightest knock can cause her skin to tear or blister, took part in book signings on the Friday and Saturday. Wendy’s canine partner Ted saves her life everyday as he is trained to push a panic button if Wendy is unable to breathe. Their book ‘My Life in his Paws’ was available to purchase on the stand with 50 per cent profit coming to Canine Partners.
We are privileged to work in partnership with Help for Heroes, who have funded a number of partnerships of former service men and women. It was fantastic to see them at Crufts and demo dog Fiona certainly didn’t mind them making a fuss of her!
A massive thank you and well done to all those involved in making Crufts a fantastic experience.
We’re looking for runners to join our ‘purple army’ to take on the 13.1 mile race on Sunday 3 April and help transform the lives of people with physical disabilities.
Holly Bryan, Event and Challenge Co-ordinator, said: “If you have missed the general entry for the Reading Half Marathon there is still the opportunity to race as part of our amazing Canine Partners team.
“As a gold charity partner we have guaranteed places in the race, a prime spot in the furnished marquee within the race village, dedicated areas in the start zones and best of all we have exclusive use of the Reading FC Players’ Lounge before and after the race. This means our participants’ friends and family will be able to enjoy refreshments before and after the race, there’s plenty of space to leave your belongings while running and private toilet facilities.
“All sponsorship raised from the event will go towards the cost of one of our Canine Partners puppies, to fund their training and help them become a fully fledged canine partner.
“Canine Partners does not receive any government funding and relies solely on donations so all the money raised will be truly life-changing.”
General entries for the Reading Half Marathon have now closed but to sign-up to the Canine Partners Reading Half Marathon team you still have until Saturday 20 February. Please visit our challenges page or you can email hollyb@caninepartners.org.uk or call 01730 716013 before the closing date: Saturday 20 February.
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It’s not long now until Pedal For Paws, our first cycling event to raise much needed funds for us to train more amazing dogs to support people with disabilities.
