Canine Partners, the charity pairing specially trained assistance dogs with individuals with physical disabilities, hosted their latest graduation ceremony for Forester the dog.

Foresters Friendly Society, sponsored Forester the dog through his training with Canine Partners.

The ceremony celebrated the completion of Forester’s training which acknowledged the partnership between him and his partner, Jonathan.

In support of Canine Partners, former Blue Peter presenter and radio host, Valerie Singleton OBE attended on the day as a guest of Foresters Friendly Society.

Jane Grant, Corporate Engagement at Canine Partners commented:

Our Partnership Day was a joyous occasion. The value our assistance dogs have in helping with the everyday tasks in life, for those with physical disabilities, is immeasurable. We are very proud of Forester’s development and how he has honed his ability to help Jonathan. The amount Foresters Friendly Society has raised has enabled us to fund Forester’s training as well as supporting the partnership with regular visits over his entire working life as an assistance dog.

Foresters Friendly Society is funding the training of four other canine partner assistance dogs which means we can look forward to establishing more long-lasting partnerships in the future. Canine Partners has over 430 active partnerships working across the UK today, creating 780 over the last 29 years.

Glyn Carpenter, former National President of Foresters Friendly Society commented:

In supporting Canine Partners, and specifically ‘Forester’ the dog, we knew we would be able to track his performance and witness his progress towards completing all the training required to help others. Knowing we played a role in helping Forester on his journey to be of vital assistance to someone in need is invaluable. As a dog-lover and owner ourselves, we felt particularly passionate to support this wholly worthwhile cause and are delighted by the amount Foresters Friendly Society has been able to raise.

Canine Partners was Foresters Friendly Society’s chosen charity for 2016/17 and was chosen by former National President Glyn Carpenter and his wife Christine.  During this period a total of £70,000 was raised.

Image credit: Foresters Friendly Society