'To get out there with a guide dog is amazing'

A blind couple who say their guide dogs have been instrumental in the freedom they have experienced during lockdown now want to help others.

Mel Griffiths, of Nottingham and a dog health advisor for Guide Line, the Guide Dogs' national helpline, walked the equivalent of 53 miles (85km) in a single week with her companion Elsa to raise money for the charity.

She is now aiming to raise £90,000 to mark the charity's 90th year.

Mel, whose husband Gavin is also blind, said: "To be able to just get out there and walk for miles and miles, and just have that freedom to get out of the house every day has really kept me going through lockdown."

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