These are the charities that I am supporting during my row. Please, if you can, give generously and help me to reach my target of £10,000 for each worthy cause.

 

 

 

 

 The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association: registered charity no. 209617

My mother is an experienced "puppy walker" (trainer) of 11 years, and as a family, we have seen the new lease of life each guide dog can give to their blind or partially sighted owners.

Guide Dogs believe that every blind or partially sighted person has the right to a full, free, independent life and the charities aim is to remove all obstacles in their way. Their work has been transforming the lives of many thousands people on a daily basis for over 75 years. Guide Dogs rely totally on voluntary income and legacies to deliver their services. Without help from the public, their work could not continue.

Thousands of blind and partially-sighted people do not receive the rehabilitation services they desperately need, and their 'Re-think Rehab' campaign is alerting politicians to this fact, and pressing for major new investment. Guide Dogs requires over £50 million a year to continue its work and they receive no government funding and their services are entirely dependent on voluntary donations.

They fund major research projects looking into the prevention and cure of eye disease and work to raise awareness of the importance of eye care. While I am attempting to see and do as much as I possibly can in my lifetime, I believe that everyone should have access to similar experiences. If people with limited sight, or none at all, can achieve similar life-changing goals with the help of their four legged companions, then I would like to help make them achievable. Can you help too?

 

Sidmouth Lifeboat: registered charity no. 1105914

Sidmouth Lifeboat is an independent lifeboat that was set up in 1968 and receives no money from central or local government or from the RNLI. It covers the coast from Budleigh Salterton to Axmouth and operates up to 18 miles offshore. Everyone involved is a volunteer and they attend about 25 emergencies each year. All monies donated to this cause go directly to the maintenance of this select arm of the emergency services.

A recent campaign to upgrade the boat at a cost of £100,000 was successful, but the Victorian lifeboat station is in dire need of refurbishment, at a cost of £80,000. Therefore monies raised by the DaveBrooksSolo campaign would directly benefit a very necessary cause here.

 

RNLI: registered charity no. 209603

The RNLI aims to save lives by changing attitudes and behaviour among people who use the sea regularly. They patrol more than 100 beaches in the UK in peak season and assisted almost 10,000 people last year. Last year RNLI lifeboats rescued almost 8,000 people, an average of 21 people a day.