Cumbrian School takes on blindfold ‘Fund Race’ for Guide Dogs charity

Bridekirk Dovenby CofE Primary School near Cockermouth has raised £570 for the charity and said that they were ‘so proud’ of their pupils.

A Fund Race is a track race or obstacle course where every participant is blindfolded and uses a rope as their guide.

Children taking part in the race (Image: Guide Dogs)It is an active challenge that everyone will remember and follows learning about sight loss through a free assembly pack.

A spokesperson for Bridekirk Dovenby CofE Primary School, said: “As a school, we made the decision to raise awareness and money for Guide Dogs this year.

“We are so proud of the children for their courage in taking part in a blindfold race, and incredibly grateful for the generosity of their families.

“The children did so well and now have a new appreciation of the struggles of the visually impaired.

“We would like to thank the volunteer, Andrew who came along with his dog, Rose, to meet some of the children and support our sports day. He answered lots of questions and brought a new understanding to us all.”

In Cumbria, there are around 11,000 people living with sight loss with not all of these people beint registered blind, but their sight loss is significant enough to impact their daily living.

Susie Finlinson, National Schools and Youth Manager for Guide Dogs, said: “We’ve created this challenge, especially for schools, to start important conversations about sight loss and being more inclusive and accessible.”

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“By taking part, Bridekirk Dovenby has not only done this but has also raised vital funds to support our life-changing work. We’re hugely grateful for their participation in our campaign.”

The campaign was created after hearing Guide Dogs staff share their experiences of growing up with a vision impairment, and how their schools adapted sports activities. The charity wants to encourage other local schools to consider participating in Fund Race.

The funds raised by Bridekirk Dovenby will support Guide Dogs to help people with sight loss now and in the future.