Fundraising for Otis

On Thursday 1st February, we are planning to hold a fundraising and dress up day to raise money for Otis our Reading Dog.

We are lucky enough to have been working alongside Liz Jackson and Otis for the last few years and many children have had the experience of reading with Otis.

Liz works for the John Burns Foundation, which is a charity, their aim is to make a difference to the lives of people and companion animals across the UK.

The ‘Burns at your side’ project is aimed at children of all ages to help with reading and communication skills. Reading to our trained learning support dogs has proven to have a huge impact on the children that participate.

The fear and pressure they may feel when reading to an adult is taken away and their stress level is reduced. The reading dogs scheme provides a calm, relaxing safe environment where a child can enjoy a book without any judgement, they can develop their vocabulary and improve their reading skills.

On Thursday 1st February, we would like the children to wear something blue (or something doggy) and make a voluntary contribution of £1. All the money raised will go to the Burns Foundation. We do not want you to go out and buy anything, so if they do not have anything already, they can wear their school jumpers. The funds raised will be used to cover the increased costs incurred with regards to training the volunteer teams, uniform, insurance etc.

Many thanks

Mrs Miller