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Students to name guide dog
Posted: 17th December 2019A visit from a guide dog has inspired young people to fundraise to support a puppy in training.
Students at Sir Frederick Gibberd College are fundraising to enable them to name a puppy Freddie, after their school.
The mission was launched after a visit from Guide Dogs for The Blind and eight-month-old puppy Thor.
The school’s new charity leaders – who applied for and were interviewed for the positions – will lead on the fundraising project.
Headteacher Dee Conlon said: “During the assembly, students learnt more about how guide dogs are trained, what they are able to do, how they help people and what they do when they retire. The lady who came to talk to us is a volunteer who walks puppies before they start their training, so that also opened our students’ eyes to volunteer opportunities available. It exposed them to how they could get involved in the community and charity work.
“The children loved it. We have a lot of children who adore animals and want to get involved in animal care. They are very caring; we want to encourage that and to develop their empathy. They are so keen to do things and we want to keep that enthusiasm going. It is important for them to be responsible when caring for another life.”
Year 7 student Hollie Dietz said: “I did not know much about guide dogs before. We learnt that puppies are taken to the football and the theatre, so they get used to the noise. They can help people who are deaf or blind, as well as children with anxiety.
“We learnt quite a lot about them.”