Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, visits Guide Dogs Reading Hub in Burghfield Common on Hallowe’en
A group of lucky pooches and their companions were treated to a royal visit on Hallowe’en.
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, the patron of Guide Dogs, met 12 families and their buddy dogs at the charity’s centre in Burghfield Common on Thursday, October 31.
She spent the day learning about how buddy dogs help children with visual impairments to build confidence, increase their physical activity, and improve their wellbeing.
The children shared personal stories with the duchess about how much their buddy dogs mean to them, and she took part in several activities, such as a hands-on Hallowe’en-themed dog treat-making session.
Guide Dogs’ buddy dog operations manager Robbie Campbell said: “It was a pleasure to welcome our Royal patron to our buddy dog event today.
“Our young buddy dog owners delighted in seeing her get stuck in with the treat-making and her genuine interest in their stories truly shone through.”
The children and the duchess used various cooking tools selected to make the ghost-shaped biscuits, such as talking scales, clear bowls to enhance the visibility of ingredients and brightly-coloured utensils and contrasting-coloured icing to aid visibility.
Techniques like using a spoon to measure out water were also taught to help the children learn safe and independent food preparation.
The Prichett family were present at the event with their 14-year-old son Oliver, who was partnered with his buddy dog Rudi in February last year.
Oliver and his parents, Ellie and Andrew, shared with the duchess how Rudi has increased Oliver’s confidence and has bonded with the family, including Oliver’s siblings Theo, 11, and Chloe, six.
Mr Campbell added: “The Duchess of Edinburgh’s enthusiasm brought real joy to the day filled with smiles, wagging tails, and a lot of Hallowe’en fun.
“We are incredibly grateful to her for raising awareness of the impact buddy dogs can have on shaping young lives of children with sight loss.”
