22nd February 2023: Following the recent partnership with Therapy Dogs Nationwide, Bella & Duke is delighted to announce that through its charity referral initiative, their customers have donated a total of £3,920 to the partner charity.
The initiative, run from 20th December until 31st January, saw Bella & Duke pledge £20 to Therapy Dogs Nationwide upon every existing customer that referred a friend, with over 195 unique referrals coming from their loyal customers.
The leading pet food brand announced its partnership with the charity back in November 2022 and has offered continued support and fundraising on behalf of the charity through the likes of their internal bake sale, Christmas jumper day and more recently the referral initiative.
Therapy Dogs Nationwide volunteers visit schools, hospitals, hospices, nursing homes, care centres and prisons with their own dogs to provide comfort, distraction, and stimulation as well as Animal Assisted Therapies.
The dogs help children with their confidence when learning to read, placing assessed dogs with their volunteer handlers into Primary, Junior, High and SEN schools under the charity’s ‘Paws & Read Scheme’ which is recognised by The Kennel Club. The charity also provides dogs to create a calming environment for autistic children and adults and bring joy to those in hospitals and hospices. All of the therapy dogs that are part of Therapy Dogs Nationwide are temperament tested and some have been volunteering with the charity for over ten years.
Mark Scott, Co-Founder of Bella & Duke, said: “We are thrilled to be able to get our customers behind a fantastic cause such as Therapy Dogs Nationwide. We have always believed that our dogs always do right by us, and this is certainly the case with all the wonderful dogs at Therapy Dogs Nationwide. The team do a great job of instilling the confidence and comfort our furry friends provide us particularly in the most vulnerable of times. We look forward continuing our support throughout 2023.”
Leisl de Lafontaine, a Trustee at Therapy Dogs Nationwide, commented: “We were stunned to hear how much was donated through the referral program. The generous donation from Bella & Duke will help us tremendously in carrying out our work through making it easier to ensure volunteers can be available to help visit essential places in their local areas.”
The recent donation marks the continued fundraising efforts by Bella & Duke following the initial £12,000 donation that marked the start of the long term partnership in November 2022.
To find out more information on the partnership, or to make a donation to Therapy Dogs Nationwide, visit: https://www.bellaandduke.com/therapy-dogs-nationwide/
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