Guide Dogs Patron Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh enjoyed a special visit to Guide Dogs Reading Hub to learn more about how buddy dogs support children with vision impairments.
The visit gave Her Royal Highness a chance to see the incredible role these well-behaved dogs play in fostering a sense of fun, trust, and independence in young people with a vision impairment and hear how these dogs can have a hugely positive effect on the whole family.
The day was filled with engaging activities, including a hands-on Halloween-themed dog treat-making session, where The Duchess enthusiastically joined the children in crafting and decorating ghost-shaped biscuits for their buddy dogs.
The children and The Duchess used various cooking tools selected to make the activity accessible, such as talking scales, clear bowls to enhance the visibility of ingredients and brightly coloured utensils and contrasting coloured icing to aid visibility. Techniques like using a spoon to measure out water were also taught to help the children learn safe and independent food preparation.
Robbie Campbell, Buddy Dog Operations Manager at Guide Dogs, said: “The Duchess of Edinburgh’s enthusiasm brought real joy to the day filled with smiles, wagging tails, and a lot of Halloween fun! We are incredibly grateful to her for raising awareness of the impact buddy dogs can have on shaping young lives of children with sight loss."
