A CHARITY that trains dogs to support deaf people was the inspiration behind a family fun day held by a York veterinary group.

VetPartners raised £400 from the event as part of a year of fundraising for their chosen charity of 2019, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.

The York-based company owns 120 UK’s veterinary practices, with 5,000 employees working across more than 450 sites, including its headquarters at Spitfire House in Clifton Moor.

Nearly 100 employees attended as members of VetPartners’ central support team joined vets, nurses and receptionists from their Yorkshire practices for a fun day at the Mercure York Fairfield Manor Hotel in York.

They organised a dog show for team members to bring along their own pets, a bake-off competition, sports day games, including a sack race and egg and spoon race for children and adults, as well as a hog roast.

The sale of tickets for the event raised £300, while entry fees and donations on the day helped VetPartners top the fundraising total to £400.

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People trains dogs to alert deaf people to important and life-saving sounds, such as fire alarms, intruder alarms, oven timers and baby monitors. The charity’s dogs also provide constant emotional support and companionship, which is important as deaf people can often struggle with feelings of isolation and loneliness.

All year, employees from VetPartners’ practices have been running, walking, climbing, baking and even sky diving to raise money for the 2019 chosen charity.

VetPartners CEO Jo Malone said: “The cost to train and support each hearing dog throughout their lifetime is £40,000 and the charity relied on donations. Our employees are helping the charity to train more life-changing hearing dogs.”