On 21st September Colwall Wings WI held a fabulous evening at the Colwall Park Hotel. Wings Treasurer, Sarah Grout, has long been a supporter of Guide Dogs and she was able to secure the most amazing talk by Guide Dogs, Ledbury and Malvern Group.

Anne Dicks and her fellow volunteers (Guide Dogs could not exist without an amazing army of volunteers) talked about the charity, the work the volunteers do and of course the fabulous dogs. If you thought you knew about Guide Dogs ... there's bound to be some things you didn't know:

- It costs £50,000 to raise and keep one dog

- Guide Dogs are the biggest dog breeder in the world. Providing not only dogs for the blind and partially sighted, but dogs for search & rescue, buddy dogs, police dogs, dogs for the disabled. Even the pups who don't quite pass the rigourous test to become a fully fledged guide dog are given fabulous alternative careers

- That 'puppy walkers' do cry when they have to say goodbye to their pup when it moves on to work

But for all the facts and figures it was Shirley, with her beautiful dog Taylor, (both members of Upton Hot Peppers WI) who gave a most candid talk on the difference having a dog has made to her life. Everyone who listened to her felt in awe and humbled by the sheer brilliance, comfort and life-affirming ability her lovely dog gives her.

To help with fundraising please visit https://www.guidedogs.org.uk/aboutus/local-to-you/fundraising-groups/malvern-and-ledbury-fundraising-group.

Colwall Wings WI was established in June this year and has already gathered nearly 90 members. Members will enjoy a wine tasting evening in October with Elgar Wines – this is a members only event however new membership enquiries are always welcome – please contact us at colwallwings@gmail.com - or visit the website at www.colwallwings.co.uk