Cadbury colleagues raise funds to train guide dog ‘Wispa’

The Bournville Manufacturing Community Team at Cadbury hosted a fundraising day on Wednesday which raised over £500 to help towards the training of the company-sponsored, and fittingly named, guide dog Wispa.

The Bournville site welcomed The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association’s dog display team as part of a series of events designed to fund Wispa’s training. The dog display team treated employees by demonstrating a day in the life of a guide dog. This included the opportunity for employees to be led and navigated around an obstacle course by a guide dog to experience a life reliant on the skills of the dogs.

The fundraising team from Cadbury also organised a raffle, tombola and a ‘guess the name of the dog’ competition, all of which helped Cadbury to raise more than £500 towards their overall donation. They are now well over half way to achieving their goal of £10,000 which is the cost of Wispa’s training.

The relationship between the UK’s largest confectionery company and Guide Dogs has been sparked by the generosity of Cadbury employees. The Bournville Manufacturing Community Team selected Guide Dogs as a charity to support, as training and matching dogs like Wispa with their owners is a heavy investment, both financially and involving around twenty months of training.

Jason Guiden from Cadbury’s Bournville Manufacturing team, said:

 “The outcome of the event was fantastic, in terms of both the number of people and the amount of money raised. Dogs like Wispa really do change lives and that’s why Bournville manufacturing community steering group here at Cadbury is dedicated to funding her training. She is a delightful dog who will one day give a blind or partially sighted person more independence.”

Diana Mager, regional development fundraiser for Guide Dogs, said:

“Guide dogs have a significant effect on the lives of blind and partially sighted people in the UK, both practically, making experiences outside the home possible through locating and avoiding obstacles, but also emotionally by inspiring confidence in their owners. The amazing help guide dogs provide is funded largely by voluntary donations, and Cadbury colleagues are working hard to support the work of this charity. We are delighted to be working with Cadbury and would like to say a huge thank you for the time and commitment that has been dedicated to the fundraising for Wispa.”

For more information on Cadbury and its Community Programme, visit www.cadbury.com.

For more information on Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, visit www.guidedogs.org.uk.