WATCHING puppies being put through their paces “many moons ago” inspired a Llanidloes man to raise £10,000 for Guide Dogs.

John Selwyn-Smith, last year’s Rotary Club president, took just 18 months to reach the ambitious target with the help of friends and fellow Rotarians.

Mr Selwyn-Smith said he was fascinated to watch guide dogs and their vision-impaired owners when he lived near the training school in Exeter.

“It was many moons ago, but it struck a chord with me, and I’ve been a fan of guide dogs ever since,” he said.

“I was Rotary president last year, and made it my target to raise £10,000 towards training puppies. I had a committee working with me, who made an invaluable contribution.

“We reached our target with store collections, counter-top boxes, coffee mornings and an auction of promises. We also arranged a sponsored dog walk, but it had to be cancelled twice due to storms, so people donated money online instead.

“We’ve rehomed a former guide dog, a German Shepherd named Thistle, who comes fundraising with us. She’s a fantastic dog and came to us fully trained. The £10,000 target may have been reached but I plan to carry on fundraising.”

Mr Selwyn-Smith was invited to suggest names for two guide dog puppies.

“The committee chose Sabre and Lily, and the Rotary Club opted for Dylan and Bronwen – good Welsh names,” he said.

He will be notified when the puppies are born and receive regular updates on their progress. Arrangements will be made for the pups to visit Llanidloes when they are four or five-months-old.

An astonishing £13,000 was given out to good causes at the Llanidloes Rotary Club’s Thank You Evening at the town’s Rugby Club in Llanidloes on January 22. It was also a record amount for the Club.

Many residents help the club with its fundraising including managing the car parking for Wales Rally GB throughout a November night in the Hafren Forest. Thanks too were given to local business, Morris Marshall and Poole, Hafren Furnishers and Woosnam and Davies along with the Town Council, all having provided generous sponsorship.

A £3,000 donation was given to Llanidloes High School headteacher Daniel Owen to support the development of the school’s provision for autistic children. The bulk of the money came from the Legacy of Rotarian Fred Davis, whose son, Roy, spoke movingly about his wishes.

The proceeds of the Christmas collection of £500 was given to Anthony Nolan Trust representative Sheena McCurrach to continue the their valuable work of matching donors and recipients for bone marrow transplants.

To find out how your organisation can name a guide dog puppy, visit www.guidedogs.org.uk/how-you-can-help/fundraise/name-a-puppy