Tesco colleagues in Swansea have raised an impressive £5,500 for The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. Staff at the retailers’ Llansamlet Extra store presented a giant cheque to the charity on Sunday after spending the previous 12 months working hard to fundraise both in store and in the local community.
The charity is close to the hearts of many at the store, with several colleagues having a personal connection with guide dogs and the training of guide dog puppies. The amount raised also meant staff had the opportunity to name two dogs currently completing their guide dog training, with the names ‘Teddy’ and ‘Wyn’ being chosen.
Ryan Pontefract, Swansea Llansamlet Extra Community Champion, said, “We raised £5,500 over the course of 2024 through collections in store and other events like tombolas and car boot sales. One of the biggest reasons we decided to raise money for The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association is that I have an eye condition that could eventually lead me to becoming partially sighted or fully blind. We also decided to name one of the dogs Wyn as one our shift leaders’ grandmothers is a former guide dog trainer.”
Ruth Evans, Community Fundraising Relationship Manager for The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, said: “The staff at Tesco in Llansamlet have done incredibly well to raise £5,500. This amazing amount is enough to cover six birthing kits for a guide dog mum, 40 starter kits for a new guide dog partnership or 110 visits to the vet for a guide dog check-up. Our volunteers enjoy coming along to bucket collections in the store and shoppers love meeting our dogs and puppies. They always make time for a chat and give so generously. This money will ensure that we can continue to change the lives of people with sight loss in the Swansea area.”
