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Guide Dogs Cymru volunteers in Caerphilly have raised £13,000 for the charity in just nine months.

The group has held supermarket bucket collections to raise enough money to fund a guide dog partnership.

Heather, a two-year-old golden retriever, qualified as a guide dog earlier this year and is now working in London.

The £13,000 raised will cover the cost of food and vets’ bills during her working life as a guide to her owner, who has sight loss.

There are currently around 4,800 working guide dogs across the UK.

Stephen Sims, group treasurer, said: “We’ve achieved this milestone thanks to local shoppers, our hard-working volunteers, and our beautiful dogs, who love meeting customers in-store.

“People’s generosity is amazing, even when times are hard. Last week we visited Tesco in Ystrad Mynach and raised a magnificent £1,092 in just two days.”

Ruth Evans, community fundraising manager for Guide Dogs Cymru, added: “This amazing group of volunteers have done incredibly well to raise this sum, which will make a real difference for the people we support.

“Volunteers kindly offer their time, support and energy to our charity. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to continue our work.

“Our guide dogs are truly life-changing, allowing people with sight loss to enjoy the same freedom and independence as everyone else.”