Guide dog charity 'couldn't do without' volunteers

Guide Dogs UK has joined the Big Help Out volunteering initiative

A guide dogs charity worker has appealed for volunteers to come forward to foster pups or raise funds, saying the group "couldn't do without them".

Daniel Swain, from Sheffield, began losing his sight aged 15 due to a genetic condition which affects the optic nerve.

He said it was thanks to charities like Guide Dogs UK that he was able to "overcome" his condition - and he is now volunteer coordinator for its Sheffield branch.

Guide Dogs UK is urging helpers to come forward as part of the national Big Help Out volunteering campaign.

Volunteering opportunities include being a puppy raiser, which means looking after a young dog for 12-16 months and guiding them through training, socialisation and new experiences.

Meanwhile, dog fosterers care for the animals in the evenings and at weekends while they are training.

Mr Swain said: "At Guide Dogs we have around 15,500 volunteers across the UK, they play an incredibly important part in our work.

"We couldn't do what we do without them."

Daniel Swain is supported by Guide Dogs UK and has become a volunteer coordinator

Guide Dogs UK said: "We have all sorts of roles for volunteers, and they all help us to support people with sight loss to live the life they choose.

"We would love to welcome new volunteers into our community."

According to figures from the charity last year, the average national waiting time to get a guide dog was 16 months.

However, 37% of the people who were matched between October 2022 and October 2023 had been waiting for less than a year, the charity said.

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