DOG lovers are needed to join the Guide Dogs charity’s team of volunteers.

People can expect to help with fund-raisers ranging from store collections to sponsored dog walks.

Ben Rendle, an 18-year-old student at the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford, started out as a volunteer with the help of a guide dog of his own. “The reason I started to volunteer for Guide Dogs was to give something back to a charity that has given me so much,” he said.

“Since getting my guide dog in July 2011 my life has changed massively, I’m now able to travel confidently and independently – something that I never thought possible before.

“While being a volunteer I have had the opportunity to do lots of different things and meet so many different people. It has helped me to improve many of my skills and is so rewarding I would recommend it to anyone.” The Guide Dogs charity provides a range of mobility services and works to break down barriers so people who are blind and partially sighted can get out and about on their own terms. It helps about 4,600 people every year.

Charity spokesman Sue Bushell said: “Our fund-raising and awareness events are vital as the Guide Dog service receives no government funding.

“Every minute of every day, Guide Dogs spends £100 to make independence possible for blind and partially sighted people.”

For more information, or to get involved, contact Viv Jones or Michelle Parsons of the Birmingham Mobility Team – which covers Worcestershire – on 08453 727434 or e-mail birmingham@guidedogs.og.uk.