Ovenu

Dave Manning of oven valeting service Ovenu Bristol East has received a valuable insight into the work carried out by the Guide Dogs charity as part of its Name a Puppy scheme.

George Upfield, who was left severely visually impaired after suffering a brain tumour aged nine, visited Ovenu’s annual conference along with his guide dog Yoko.

Dave, who previously worked as a garden centre manager before taking on the business in 2016, is one of more than 120 Ovenu franchisees across the UK who named puppy Selsey and are funding her training as she works towards becoming a fully qualified guide dog. The black Labrador, now almost 12 months old, is described as “progressing well”.

George, who started volunteering with the Guide Dogs at the age of 16, later worked with the charity as an administrator, and was recently appointed an operations support coordinator.

He described the many aspects of the charity’s work and thanked everyone for their generous donations and puppy sponsorship.

Dave said: “George’s talk was inspirational and really brought home how important it is to sponsor the training of puppies like Selsey. Guide Dogs offer life-changing independence and freedom to people living with sight loss. However, it’s more than just mobility, because the companionship of a guide dog also brings positive psychological and social effects.”

The presentation was part of the Ovenu Conference, held in Northamptonshire, which allowed franchisees an opportunity to chat face-to-face whilst participating in various activities including golf, tenpin bowling and laser-clay shooting.

Rik Hellewell, the founder and managing director of the Ovenu franchise, said: “George’s personal story was very moving, and he inspired us all to continue to support Guide Dogs’ valuable work.”

Jo Berry, the charity’s business development manager, said: “We would like to thank everyone at Ovenu for their continued support of Guide Dogs, without the help of companies like Ovenu we would not be able to provide our life changing services to people living with sight loss.”

Ovenu has set up a Just Giving page that allows clients to make further donations to Guide Dogs at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ovenuforguidedogs

Ovenu Bristol East covers East Bristol, including Hanham, Warmley, Oldland Common, Keynsham and surrounding areas. For a free quote, call 0117 287 2467, email bristoleast@ovenu.co.uk or visit www.ovenu.co.uk/oven_cleaning/bristol-east/

ENDS

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For further information contact Andrew Douglas 01325 363436

Photo caption: Dave Manning of Ovenu Bristol East with guide dog Yoko

Editors’ Notes:

Ovenu

Ovenu is the leading UK and international domestic oven cleaning and valeting specialist. All cleaning products used by Ovenu are environmentally friendly, bio-degradable and conform to the latest government REACH regulations. Ovenu’s Carbon Remover is also approved by the Vitreous Enamel Association. The Ovenu valeting process involves dismantling key components of an oven and placing them into design-registered equipment, which uses non-caustic, non-toxic and biodegradable products to clean the oven parts. Ovenu is a full member of the Approved Franchise Association (AFA.)

Guide Dogs

It costs over £55,000 to train and support a guide dog partnership. It relies on donations to continue its life-changing work. Every pound raised makes a difference to the lives of people in the UK living with sight loss.

Visit www.guidedogs.org.uk to find out more.