Portsmouth school raises money for blind dog charity

Portsdown Primary School raise record amount for Guide Dogs for the Blind
caption Left to right:
Daphne Wright, Deputy head teacher, Ian Morris, Volunteer speaker for Guide dogs with Gunner, Leigh Thresher, community fund raiser for Hampshire Guide dogs, Connie a year 3 pupil and Matilda a year 3 pupil.
Picture: Daphne Wright — Portsdown Primary School raise record amount for Guide Dogs for the Blind caption Left to right: Daphne Wright, Deputy head teacher, Ian Morris, Volunteer speaker for Guide dogs with Gunner, Leigh Thresher, community fund raiser for Hampshire Guide dogs, Connie a year 3 pupil and Matilda a year 3 pupil. Picture: Daphne Wright

Year 3 pupils at Portsdown Primary School, in Portsmouth, welcomed Ian Morris and his guide dog, Gunner, along with Leigh Thresher, Hampshire’s community fundraiser representative for Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Part of the school’s PSHE curriculum covers a variety of topics called life lessons, which explore diversity and disabilities.

The children also raised money for the charity and presented Ian with a cheque for £500 which they raised from a cake sale.

Mr Morris said: ‘I have been working with Portsdown Primary for five years now.

‘The children are so engaged and caring – I am so proud of them.

‘When I learned they had raised £500 from just two classes I was staggered at how quickly they had achieved this.

‘If it wasn’t for schools like Portsdown and the many generous people that give money to guide dogs people like myself wouldn’t have the same independence I enjoy now with my dog Gunner.’

Mrs Wright, deputy headteacher said: ‘Our pupils have worked so hard to raise so much money but we could not have done this without the support of our families.

‘Every time we hold fundraising events our families step up and dig deep. We are extremely lucky to have such support. Next year we will try to match this amount.’