Dogs for the Disabled

Assistance Dog Kip Begins Training Thanks To Irwin Mitchell

Dogs for the Disabled is proud to announce the arrival of eight week old Yellow Labrador puppy Kip, a new assistance dog in training thanks to a donation from leading law firm Irwin Mitchell.

The Leeds office of Irwin Mitchell raised £5,522 in the past year for the local charity. The money raised means Kip has been purchased and placed with a volunteer family for a year to receive his puppy socialisation training.  He will then pass on to advanced training with the charity and will eventually be partnered with a disabled child or adult, allowing them to lead a fuller, more independent life with increased confidence and a means of overcoming social exclusion.

The Leeds office raised £2,761 last year through raffles, collections at local supermarkets, book sales and quiz nights. The Irwin Mitchell Charities Foundation, which receives donations and contributions from employees of the firm, then doubled the amount raised so that over £5,000 could be donated to train the dog.

Jane Horton, Partner and Head of the Personal Injury team at Irwin Mitchell in Leeds, said: "We are proud to have raised so much for Dogs for the Disabled.  The sum is going to a really worthy cause and being able to name the dog brought the donation to a real level for our staff who can see the difference their charitable gestures are making. Kip will have a big impact on someone's life."

Rowan Martin, the charity's North of England Fundraiser said: "We are delighted that a prestigious company like Irwin Mitchell would choose to support us with our life changing work. As Dogs for the Disabled receive no government funding, we rely on the hard work and kindness of such companies to supply more dogs to those who could benefit.

"Kip, whom staff had the chance to name, will go on to totally transform the life of a child or adult whose disability means they are restricted and reliant on family and carers to help with daily life. The gift of independence is priceless however Irwin Mitchell has proved that the cost of training a dog is reachable with dedication to the cause. We'd like to say a huge thank you to all involved."

Irwin Mitchell's Leeds office has announced their new office charity of the year to be local charity SNAPS (Special Needs and Parent Support), a voluntary organisation run by families, for families with children with disabilities.

SNAPS gives opportunities and support for children and families, offering hydrotherapy swimming sessions, dance classes, speech and language sessions and a summer school.  The charity isn't government funded so relies on donations and lottery grants.

Last year, SNAPS nearly lost their hydrotherapy pool but thanks to donations they managed to save it and continue to keep offering the much needed hydrotherapy sessions to children with disabilities. Irwin Mitchell's Leeds office wants to ensure that the local charity doesn’t find itself in this position again and after staff nominated various charities, the Irwin Mitchell Charities Foundation chose SNAPS to be the new Leeds office charity for 2010/11.

Horton said: "We are delighted to announce that SNAPS will be our new office charity of the year. The work they do and the support they offer is fantastic. It is also a charity that is close to the hearts of many of our clients. We aim to raise even more money and are busy planning our charity events and initiatives for the forthcoming year."

For more information about SNAPS and the work they do please visit www.snaps-vol.org.uk. Registered Charity number 1133405.