January 2026 Lunch

For our first lunch of the New Year, Chairman Norman Rodda was pleased to welcome several visitors from the Probus Club of Ewell as part of an new initiative to share activities.

The meal was a delightful winter treat of Beef Bourguignon with a creamy spinach mash followed by a generous helping of Bread and Butter Pudding with a brandy sauce. Luckily I forgot to take a snap of the pudding so we don't have to admit just how generous a serving it was!

Our after-lunch speaker was Deborah Gibson from the Assistance Dogs Charity, Canine Partners.

Currently they have over three hundred and forty assistance dogs trained to meet the needs of individuals with even the most complex physical disabilities. They primarily help adults aged 18 and over (both civilians and former service personnel) who have a physical disability or condition that affects their daily life and limits their independence.

Canine partner assistance dogs are carefully matched to the applicants’ needs and lifestyle, no matter how challenging. They are trained to help with everyday tasks such as opening and closing doors, unloading the washing machine, picking up dropped items, pressing buttons and switches and fetching help in an emergency. They can even help people to get undressed and remove a card from an ATM!

The dogs which are primarily Labradors, Golden Retrievers or crosses of the two, have three stages of training, puppy training, assistance dog training, and partner training. Volunteer puppy trainers (Deborah is one such volunteer) teach the basics of living with a family for about 15 months before they go to the main training centre in Leicestershire for advanced assistance skills before being matched and trained with their future partner for life.

The lifetime cost for an assistance dog is around £50,000 and Canine Partners is an independant charity and receives no government support.

Many thanks Deborah for an informative and uplifting talk.

To find out more or to make a donation please visit https://caninepartners.org.uk/