Guide Dogs in Train’ing with GWR

Four guide dog puppies have been introduced to GWR staff at Plymouth station who helped to raise £20,000 for the Guide Dogs charity.

Walter, Andy, Barry and Cleo were introduced to some of the station team at Plymouth before they begin their professional training to become fully qualified guide dogs for people living with visual impairments.


Pic shows L to R: Pam Gratton (Guide Dogs); Matt Fearn (GWR) with Barry; and Debi Brooks (Guide Dogs Puppy Training Supervisor) with Walter.

Krissie Isaac from Guide Dogs, said:

“A guide dog brings confidence, mobility and companionship to people with sight loss. These pups will not only change one, but four lives. We really appreciate the efforts of the staff at Great Western Railway for their fundraising efforts.”

There are an estimated 2 million people living with sight loss in the UK. It takes about a year to train dogs to become Guide Dogs.

GWR Station Supervisor at Plymouth, Matt Fearn said:

“I’m excited to meet the pups we’ve named and looking forward to following their progress over the next 12 months and beyond.”

All four of the puppies will be trained as life changing Guide Dogs for people will sight loss. 

Notes to editors

Great Western Railway (GWR) provides high speed, commuter, regional and branch line train services. We help over 100 million passengers reach their destinations every year - across South Wales, the West Country, the Cotswolds, and large parts of Southern England.

We’re currently seeing the biggest investment in the network since Brunel so we can offer more trains, more seats, and shorter, more frequent journeys and continue the network’s heritage of helping connect more businesses to new and prosperous markets. Through a series of initiatives we aim to be a good neighbour to the communities we serve and are committed to making a positive social impact in those regions. Learn how we're Building a Greater West at GWR.com. GWR is a FirstGroup company.