We're driving forward our support for Guide Dogs
3 weeks ago
We are turbo-charging our support for Guide Dogs by gifting the charity £23,000.
Earlier this year, we named Guide Dogs as our official good cause for 2024 and 2025, and are spending two years raising funds and awareness to help the charity provide a wide range of services and support to people living with a vision impairment.
“Guide Dogs is a crucial resource, helping people with a vision impairment to live actively, independently and well through its life-changing dogs and other services,” said Richard Tyldsley, Bluestar general manager.
“We have had a close association with the charity for some time because we allow guide dog trainers to hop on and off our buses with their puppies in training, helping them get used to public transport. It’s all part of making our buses accessible to all - and we understand the issues faced by those who are partially sighted when they travel by bus.
“Guide Dogs was voted to be our corporate charity by my Bluestar colleagues, who hold it in very high regard, so we have decided to boost our support with this lump sum - which is in addition to our fundraising efforts this year and next.
“We hope this latest donation will help Guide Dogs in its work, helping people with sight loss live the life they choose.”
The £23,000 will see two guide dog puppies named after Bluestar - a boy named ‘Blue’ and a girl named ‘Star’ – and covers the cost of raising two puppies through to their training.
As Bluestar’s corporate charity for 2024 and 2025, Guide Dogs is also featured on a bus back and on-board messaging, to help raise awareness of its work.
Guide Dogs is a charity almost entirely funded by donations. It is also the largest employer of specialists dedicated to helping children and young people overcome the challenges of sight loss.
Shona Lawson, community fundraising relationship manager for Guide Dogs, added: “Everyday 250 more people join the two million already living with sight loss and this number is set to double by 2050. This incredibly generous donation from Bluestar buses will help our expert staff, volunteers and life-changing dogs to be there to offer support.”