Tuesday 12-08-2014 - 17:39

Nottingham Trent Students’ Union has raised £5107.05 for the charity Guide Dogs, which trains and provides guide dogs to aid visually impaired and blind people.

The two organisations worked together to provide puppy rooms on campus for NTU students during the exam period in spring 2014. The idea came about after an initial request from a student through NTSU’s Big Ideas scheme for on campus pet therapy sessions, which have been shown to reduce stress among people who access them.

Committed to meeting the needs of NTU students, NTSU set about arranging the sessions in conjunction with Guide Dogs Nottingham Mobility Team as part of the annual student officer elections campaign, and encouraged donations from both staff and students. The money raised for the charity means that NTSU has successfully achieved its target of £5,000, which allows us to name a puppy ourselves. The current front-runner in potential names is ‘Trent’ and we look forward to meeting him in the near future.

Lizzy Kelly, NTSU VP Activities, said “The students and staff really got behind the initiative and it’s thanks to them that we’ve named a new-born puppy. We’re incredibly proud here at NTSU to be able to contribute to such a worthwhile cause.’

Mandy Rafferty, Community Fundraiser for the Nottingham Mobility Team, said “After a lot of hard work and a lot of fun NTSU have raised an amazing £5,000 to name their own guide dog puppy, ‘Trent’.  This future life-changer will one day become the eyes for a blind or partially sighted person, opening up their world and allowing them the same freedom of movement as everyone else. We are incredibly grateful to them for helping us support another life changing puppy”

For more information on the Guide Dogs charity, who receive no government funding and reply solely on donations, go to www.guidedogs.org.uk

Photo caption: Lizzy Kelly, NTSU VP Activities, presents a cheque to guide dog owners Nathan Edge and Brenda Williams, along with their guide dogs, Hudson and Sky.