Title: Westbury Woman Celebrates 43 Years of Fundraising for Guide Dogs for the Blind

A Westbury woman who has helped raise thousands of pounds for Guide Dogs for the Blind has marked 43 years of fundraising.

Hilary Reed is currently training her 55th Guide Dog puppy Elsie, teaching the German Shepherd obedience, house training and socialising her with other dogs. Elsie is also taken on public transport and to busy shops so she can get used to loud and sudden noises.

Hilary began supporting Guide Dogs in 1982. Her first guide dog puppy was called Dale, and he made such an impression that she gave her first son, Daniel, the same middle name in his memory.

Hilary said, “I started puppy raising because I wanted a dog many years ago and the person I was married to didn’t want one. I’d heard about Guide Dogs — somebody told me you keep them for a year before they go off for further training. At the end of my first year with Dale, I ended the relationship with the man I was with and carried on with the dogs. It’s just gone from there.

“Elsie is number 55 for me. I do this because I want to, not because I have to. I could give up at any time. I’m 73 now and I do think I’ll have to slow down on the fundraising side of things, but I won’t give up the puppies.”

Westbury locals might recognise Hilary from Morrisons, where she often does bucket collections. She has also taken part in events across Wiltshire over the years to raise money and awareness about guide dogs.

Hilary has organised coffee mornings, pop-up shops, talks, and currently runs a bookshop on her garden wall next to a Guide Dog donation tin. The books are donated by members of the community, and she often receives cash donations for the charity through her letterbox.

Hilary, who previously worked at a building society in Westbury, added, “Anyone who puts money in a bucket or a collection tin is someone special and we value the support. Whatever the amount, it adds up and really matters. At our bucket collections at Morrisons in Westbury, we can get hundreds each time — people are very generous. Last week, we got £510 in one collection.

“At one pop-up shop we had a pretty memorable experience. A gentleman came up and said he wanted to give us some money. I said thank you — how much? He gave us a one-off donation £20,000 in cash! The man said he’d come into a bit of money and had more than he needed. He had a friend who had had a guide dog and wanted to give someone else the same chance.”

Hilary was previously named a White Horse News ‘Person of the Year’ as a result of her fundraising efforts for guide dogs.

She added, “My favourite part of what I do is seeing the dogs go on to become guide dogs. When they reach that stage, they bring independence, companionship and confidence to the human they help.

“The Westbury and Warminster branch as a whole has raised more than £600,000, which is amazing. Each year, we collect about £20,000.

“I would also like to say thank you to all the supporters I have who help me, who come to the collections — without them I can’t do it all. There’s people like Roy and Elaine Cox, Anita Silk, Sue Leigh, Anthony and Faye Quant, as well as my helpers from Shepton Mallet, Castle Cary and Devizes, and Jenny, Sandra and Dawn who help with my tombola fundraisers.”

As well as Elsie, Hilary also looks after Wilbur the Labradoodle and Badger the black Lab. The dogs did not pass guide dog training and she was offered the chance to take them back.

Hilary has a ‘bookshop’ on the wall outside her home at 58a Leigh Road. The books are available for people to browse whenever it’s not raining. People can pop over, buy a book, and pop a donation into the Guide Dogs tin or through her letterbox.

To find out more about fundraising for the Westbury and Warminster branch of Guide Dogs for the Blind, email [email protected].