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A Caerphilly woman and her trainee guide dog are taking on a 100km walking challenge over the course of the month to raise money for charity.

Becky Mason and yellow Labrador retriever Thomas are raising money for Guide Dogs UK – with the duo now more than half way towards the 100km target.

Becky decided to become a guide dog fosterer last autumn after losing her own dog.

“We were heartbroken and said we wouldn’t have a dog again,” Becky said.

“Then someone mentioned the roles available with Guide Dogs and we looked at the options. We thought fostering would be the most suitable for us.” 

Guide Dogs UK trains dogs to help the almost two million in across the UK who are living with sight loss. 

Of this figure, 180,000 rarely leave their homes alone, often resulting in social isolation.

Becky is currently taking time off from her career as an emergency responder, giving her time to foster Thomas, a “high energy” trainee guide dog.

Thomas’s guide dog trainers have been impressed with the support and enthusiasm shown by Becky and her mother, Linda.

Becky said: “Thomas is quite demanding and has a lot of energy. A ten-minute nap and he’s good to go. It’s great for people’s mental health to take a dog out for a walk, and we know that Thomas will go on to help someone who needs him.”

So far, Becky and her new friend have covered more than 60km, walking both locally and on visits to Saundersfoot. 

Becky has exceeded her fundraising goal of £150, and the amount raised, at the time of publication, sits at £274.

Visit JustGiving to sponsor Becky and Thomas.