The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association
The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, known colloquially as Guide Dogs, is a British charitable organisation founded in 1934. The Association uses guide dogs to help blind and partially blind people. The organisation also participates in political activism for the rights of those with vision impairments.
Guide Dogs logo | |
| Abbreviation | Guide Dogs |
|---|---|
| Formation | 30 August 1934 |
| Type | Charity |
| Jamie Hambro | |
| Andrew Lennox | |
Staff | 1,500 |
Volunteers | 14,000 |
| Website | guidedogs |
The charity's royal patron is the Duchess of Edinburgh, who succeeded Princess Alexandra of Kent as patron in 2021.
The head office is near Reading in Berkshire. The charity has eight regional centres in Belfast, Cardiff, Forfar, Leeds, Atherton, Leamington Spa, Redbridge and Bristol. The regional centres in Forfar, Atherton, Leamington and Redbridge are also guide dog training schools. There are a further 14 community teams in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Hull, Liverpool, Nottingham, Shrewsbury, Birmingham, Welwyn, central London, Maidstone, Reading (based at head office), Southampton and Exeter. There is also a National Breeding Centre near Leamington Spa.
The charity's filed accounts for the year ending December 2022 put income for the year at £142.2 million.