A tail-rrific £20,000 for Guide Dogs

Sunday 21 October 2018

Islanders who Labr-adore books have helped raise £20,000 for Guide Dogs Jersey in the charity's biggest ever sale in a quarter of a century.

The sale of second-hand books themselves raised £19,751 and an anonymous donor has followed this up with the remaining £249 to reach the full £20,000.

This latest £20,000 fundraising sum brings the total amount of money raised from book sales to approximately £450,000 since Guide Dogs Jersey began the annual fundraising endeavour.

Based in St. Ouen, Guide Dogs Jersey is one of the nationwide charity's oldest branches. This year, it's celebrating its 80th anniversary, while Jersey Chairman Ken Syvret, who is supported by his wife Ruth in his work, is marking 60 years of service.

Pictured: Tom Wright (left) congratulated Ken Syvret (right) personally.

The CEO of the national Guide Dogs charity, Tom Wright, travelled especially to Jersey to mark the special occasion and made a presentation to Mr Syvret in honour of his life-long devotion to the charity.

According to Mr Wright, guide dogs, which cost around £60,000 to train and maintain over the course of a user's life, can "transform the lives of the people who have them" by helping them to live a full life, going to work and socialising.

Pictured: A cheeky guide dog tries to sneak in as the pair pose for a celebratory photo.

Speaking of the latest fundraising success, he said: ‘‘We are absolutely thrilled at this result and send our warmest thanks to everyone who donated books, bought books or volunteered for us throughout the year and over the weekend.

"We really are very grateful indeed."