Q: Which charity does Harry support?

QUIZmaster Harry Davies presents the cheque to Lorna Ball, Oldham branch organiser of Volunteers for Guide Dogs for the Blind, with (from left) Christine Rimmer and Questa, Pat Wild and Nella, and (right) Barbara Milhench and Quaver

A: Guide Dogs for the Blind, of course!
A QUIZMASTER with a heart-warming case of puppy love has helped raise the profile of one of the town’s most worthy charities.

Harry Davies, who runs a weekly quiz at Royton pub the Halfway House, donates a portion of the quiz’s proceeds to a different charity every year.

This year he opted to make the donation of £1,000 to the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association (GDBA) after falling in love with the puppy his friend owns.

Christine Rimmel, a volunteer dog walker and Harry’s neighbour, looks after Questa, who will be trained as a guide dog after spending a year with Christine and her family.

Harry presented the cheque to Lorna Ball, Oldham branch organiser of Volunteers for Guide Dogs for the Blind, Christine and fellow dog-walking volunteers Pat Wild and Barbara Milhench.

Pat, who brought along puppy Nella, said: “We try to do as many collections as we can to raise money.

“We need more people to volunteer, to help out and be interested in the work we do. There are a range of people in the town who help to fundraise, and this year we can add Harry to that team.”

The charity receives no government funding, despite it costing around £50,000 to breed, train and support a guide dog over the time one helps a blind person.

If anyone would like more information on sponsoring a dog, they can contact Diane Moore, community fundraiser for the Manchester area, on 0845-3727361, or on the website: www.guidedogsvolunteers.org.uk.