FISHERMEN became fundraisers as more than £1,200 was raised for Guide Dogs for the Blind at a competition held at KC Fisheries in Hartlebury.

The event, which also featured a raffle and donations, was organised by Marie Court, a Guide Dog volunteer from Halesowen, and John Butler from HSBC bank.

The money raised will be going toward a tribute fund for Marie’s brother by naming a puppy in his memory.

The puppy will be part of the local Guide Dogs mobility team, which work with people who are blind or partially sighted to provide a service that meets individual’s needs.

Marie said: “I am completely overwhelmed by the support we received and would especially like to thank Rob and Keith of KC Fisheries for donating their ponds and helping run the competition.

“We just simply couldn’t have done it without their help and generosity, and also HSBC for their generous donation.”

Marie needs a total of £5,000 to reach her target and will be organising other events over the coming months to help her reach her goal, She has already enlisted the help of her family as nephew, Jordan Edgar, has raised over £100 at his school and her husband Ian is looking to carry out a 24 hour sponsored supermarket collection.

The charity’s volunteers fulfil a variety of roles as well as fundraising, including working collaboratively with other organisations.

Miles Northwood, Guide Dogs community fundraiser, said: “The work that our volunteers do to raise funds is amazing, and the help they get from people like Rob and Keith of KC fisheries is invaluable.

“It costs us £5 a day to keep a Guide Dog partnership on the road and we have around 5,000 partnerships across the country.

“It is vital that we maintain our income through events such as these, and schemes such as sponsoring or naming our puppies.”

For more information about volunteering for Guide Dogs for the Blind call 08453 727434 or visit guidedogs.org.uk