Guide Dog puppies William and Ruby visit Leyland Golf Club to thank them for raising £20,000

The visit took place on Sunday, August 20 2023. In 2022, both Captain and Lady Captain chose Guide Dogs as their charity of the year, they hoped to raise at least £15k for a charity that is close to their hearts. The club smashed their target, raising an incredible £20,000. This total meant they were able to name four future life-changer guide dog puppies, including William and Ruby, plus Burgess and Leyland pictured in their ‘pawtraits’.

Naming a puppy is an opportunity for the public to give a guide dog something totally unique – their name. The club chose to name the pups Ruby (in memory of Janet’s Mum); William (in memory of Dave’s Dad); Burgess (in recognition of the club’s Pro who has been there ‘forever’); and Leyland (named after the club itself).

The efforts by members of Leyland Golf Club to raise the funds was incredible. Janet organised fashion shows, an Ascot Day and also the Lady Captain’s Golf Day. Dave held his Captain’s Golf Day, plus other activities such as raffles and a collection box on the Clubhouse bar. There was a real community push to reach their target.

Dave’s wife, who is also called Janet, spoke at the event about her son, Chris Tuson, pictured, who got involved with their fundraising by running the London Marathon. Chris, an ex-Wigan Warriors rugby player, ended up taking the place of someone else who had dropped out. Because of the short notice, Chris only had 6 weeks to train. By week 4 he was finding the prospect of the marathon tough and wanted to quit. During his time as a professional rugby player, Chris suffered a career ending injury which was extremely difficult to deal with at the time. Chris’ resilience and determination saw him through the final weeks before the marathon and he went on to complete the marathon in an amazing time of 3 hours and 41 minutes.

The club also had support from their local Guide Dogs fundraising group - Lostock Hall & Bamber Bridge, who Dave had previously thanked. Speaking earlier this year, Dave said: “I want to thank Linda and Mick Ward, Dave and Stella Wells and the rest of the group. They have been on the year-long journey with Janet, myself and the members in raising such a memorable amount for Guide Dogs - they have been an immense help.”

The golf club has a long-standing history with Guide Dogs. Barbara Kelso started the Guide Dogs trophy (pictured) at Leyland Golf Club in her year as Lady Captain in 1994. The charity is close to many hearts at Leyland, as club members have had family members living with sight loss.

William and Ruby, two charming and energetic puppies now at the age of five months were excited to visit Dave, Janet and all the other supporters involved at the golf club. Ruby was brought to the event by her puppy raisers, Ange and Nick and puppy raiser Linda brought William. The pups have been living with their puppy raisers for the last 3 months and are making great progress. Puppy raisers are vital to the early development of guide dogs, teaching basic commands and helping them get used to different environments. The role involves supporting puppies for the first 12 to 16 months of their lives before they begin their specialised guide dog training.

Dave said a few words at the end of the event to thank everyone involved. Seeing future life-changers, William and Ruby was a heartwarming reminder of how their contributions will positively impact on those living with sight loss.

Lynne Whittaker, Community Fundraising Relationship Manager for Guide Dogs, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to Leyland Golf Club for choosing to support Guide Dogs, and for raising such a tremendous amount.

“The money raised will make a significant difference to the people we support. We would like to say a big thank you to everyone involved.”

The Guide Dogs charity supports adults and children with sight loss through a range of information and support services, including their iconic guide dogs. The charity relies on the support of volunteers and receives very little government funding.

To find out more about fundraising for Guide Dogs, visit www.guidedogs.org.uk