Guide Dogs Celebrates 75 Years

Guide Dogs launches a year of anniversary celebrations commemorating the 75 years since the first guide dogs began working in the UK. Rt Hon David Blunkett MP will join guide dog owners from across the UK on the Isle of Dogs (London, Docklands) on Thursday 26 January at Guide Dog’s new interactive exhibition. The display called ‘Moving Forward Together’ will be unveiled at the event, being held at the Museum in Docklands, West India Quay. The exhibition, which will tour museums and shopping centres in the UK throughout the special anniversary year, brings to life the past 75 years of guide dog training through a range of three-dimensional, touch sensitive and audio exhibits. This means blind and partially-sighted people will be able to appreciate and understand every part of the exhibition. Visitors to the exhibition, open to the public 10am to 6pm everyday from Friday 27 January to Tuesday 17 February at the Museum in Docklands, will also have the chance to don special glasses which simulate eye conditions. They will be able to experience first-hand the effects of various eye conditions such as cataracts, retinitis pigmentosa and diabetic retinopathy. Celebrity TV vet Trude Mostue will be at the event to launch the 2006 Guide Dog of the Year Awards, accompanied by guide dog Vaughn – last year’s winner. Guide dog training in Britain began with a journey of faith in Wallasey, Cheshire, in 1931 when four blind pioneers Allen Caldwell, G W Lamb, Musgrave Frankland and Thomas Ap Rhys took the first tentative steps into a new world of opportunity with four very special German Shepherd dogs; Flash, Meta, Judy and Folly – the first four guide dogs. Three years later in 1934 The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, was founded. A whole generation of people in Britain have grown up supporting Guide Dogs from collecting milk bottle tops to fund the training of Blue Peter guide dog pup Honey to running the London Marathon. Over the past 75 years, the lives of many thousands of visually impaired people have been transformed by the life-changing level of independence and freedom of mobility that a guide dog provides. Today, Guide Dogs is the world-leader in the breeding and training of guide dogs. Plans to develop a new puppy breeding centre and investment in state-of-the-art dog kennels are well underway, which will ensure the best possible guide dogs for the future. These developments will enable the charity to increase its capacity to provide guide dogs as it reaches out to a diverse mix of visually impaired people in every corner of the country. Bridget Warr, chief executive of Guide Dogs, says: "We are looking forward to a very special year commemorating the Wallasey pioneers and celebrating the extraordinary partnerships between guide dogs and their owners over the past 75 years. We will continue to concentrate on the future needs of blind and partially-sighted people in order to provide the best possible Guide Dogs’ service for many years to come." The Guide Dogs’ website will provide a complete list of all 75th anniversary events taking place during 2006 – including memorable displays at Crufts in March and Blue Peter Dogathons on Sunday 28 May.

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