FORMER England footballer Dave Thomas has reached a £100,000 fundraising milestone for the Guide Dogs charity.
The Lartington resident, who has glaucoma, has been raising cash since he began his journey with Guide Dogs in 2015 learning how to use a long cane, and was eventually partnered with his own guide dog Hannah in 2019.
He started his campaign by collecting signed football shirts for auction and later donated all the royalties from his autobiography Guiding Me Home and Away to the charity.
Earlier this month he was surprised by Guide Dogs staff, volunteers and new CEO Andrew Lennox during an event at the charity’s training centre in Newcastle.
Mr Thomas was joined on the visit by his wife Brenda.
The cash he raised also allowed him to name his 20th guide dog puppy Annie.
Mr Thomas said: “What a fantastic surprise to be met by all these people today. I was already looking forward to meeting guide dog puppy Annie, but this is an extra special treat.
“Back in 2015, when I was waiting to be matched with Hannah, I was completely blown away by the support I was given by Guide Dogs.
“Every hour, someone in the UK starts to lose their sight and it’s important to me to help support this amazing charity make a life-changing difference to other people living with sight loss, like they did for me.
“It’s very special to have been able to name so many puppies thanks to the generosity of so many friends, family, and supporters and I very much hope Annie has an incredible future ahead of her as a guide dog. Today has been a day my wife and I will never forget.”
More than 20 staff and volunteers attended the event where the former footballer was presented with a commemorative book of all the puppies he has named.
CEO Andrew Lennox said: “It’s incredible how much Dave has raised over the past few years for Guide Dogs, and it’s an honour to be able to meet him today to thank him personally. It costs over £55,000 to fund a working guide dog over its lifetime, so it really will make a real difference to supporting people living with sight loss.”
Learn more by visiting guidedogs.org.uk/nap or ringing 08007 811444.
