ON Thursday, June 23, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People held a charity golf day at Bigbury Golf Club.

This event has been organised annually for the past eight years by retired Plymouth vet John Bower, a trustee of the Hearing Dogs charity.

This year, 64 golfers took part in fine, sunny weather, and the event was a tremendous success, raising more than £3,000 for the charity.

This will go a long way towards training one of these wonderful dogs, as they become the ears and loyal companion of a deaf person, enabling them to lead a much more normal life.

The dogs alert the deaf owner to sounds that they would not otherwise hear, such as the telephone, alarm clock, doorbell, kitchen timer and of course smoke alarms.

They also provide companionship and the confidence to spend time out and about.

The winning foursome was a local team from GA Solicitors in Plymouth.

John Bower said: ‘The wonderful amount raised would not have been possible without the very generous sponsorship by both local and national firms.

‘Sound Financial Management, the Veterinary Hospital Group in Estover, Independent Slate Supplies in Saltash, GA Solicitors, Lang Town and Country, Lilac Technology and the Veterinary Insurance Agency sponsored a hole each, while Petplan, Zoetis, Centaur Services and Henry Schein sponsored the golf prizes amounting to some £700.

‘Brittany Ferries, Ocean BMW and various local restaurants gave valuable prizes for an auction held on the day by retired auctioneer, Chris Forrest.’

Two local Hearing Dogs owners, Chris and Sue, along with their dogs spent the afternoon with us and of course, their hearing dogs were the real stars of the show.

Over the 8 years that this golf day has been run, more than £28,000 has been raised for the charity.

Further information about the charity can be found online at www.hearingdogs.org.uk.