National Lottery winners worth over £35M have finished a ‘pawsome’ makeover of a bungalow for assistance dog charity Canine Partners.
The 30 strong group of winners transformed the two bedroom holiday home and its garden which will be rented out to people and families who use assistance dogs.
The ‘millionaire makeover’ used many of the skills the winners had trained for before winning their life-changing millions. The holiday home will provide an opportunity for the charity’s beneficiaries and their families to have use of fully accessible holiday accommodation at its National Training Centre in rural Leicestershire. The home will offer a new facility for partners who often face difficulties in sourcing accessible and affordable holiday accommodation. The bungalow will also generate income for the charity to help fund the training of more dogs.
The bungalow was transformed both inside and out. Inside the National Lottery winners painted, built specialist furniture, put up blinds and lights, made beds and furnished rooms. Outside fences were painted, gates repaired, patios jet-washed, the lawn was mowed, even a dog-friendly herb garden was planted and for one winner it was an opportunity to reconnect with Canine Partners.
Michelle Edwards, from Somerset, won £1.9M on Lotto in 2008 and after quitting her job she became a ‘Puppy Parent volunteer’ for Canine Partners. Michelle has looked after several puppies while the dogs wait for a placement with someone who has been matched. She said, “I’ve always loved dogs and after seeing Canine Partners I became a ‘Puppy Parent volunteer’ in 2009 and was handed a Golden Retriever puppy, Xagan, just two years after winning. It’s such a fulfilling role and I’m delighted to help out with my fellow winners and help transform this bungalow which I know will be loved by many visitors.”
The winner workforce was split into groups under the supervision of Canine Partners staff. Leading the painting team were millionaires Ruth and Peter Doyle from Wiltshire. Peter was a painter and decorator and the win enabled them to retire early and spend some time with their beloved dogs and also help dogs that have been less fortunate, fostering Romanian stray dogs and volunteering for a rescue centre in Spain.
Peter and Ruth won £1M on Euromillions in 2015. Peter said, “We love dogs and our win enabled us to spend more time with ours and helping others. We are in awe of the work of Canine Partners and were delighted to travel up today from Wiltshire to be here. Their training of dogs helps so many people and to help them transform this holiday home with other winners is a privilege.”
Paul Kibler and his wife Marie from Sutton Coldfield won £2.1M on Lotto in 2012. Paul was a landscape gardener and directed his outdoor team to paint the fences, trim hedges, plant hanging baskets, put up trellis and plant a dog-friendly herb garden. Paul said, “The garden is the perfect suntrap for reading a book, barbequing or just chatting with family, all in the middle of beautiful countryside. I’ve really enjoyed working with everyone, it simply feels great to be able to make a difference and to support the work of an amazing charity.”
Deb Burgess from Leicester is the wealthy workforce’s most recent winner. She won £1M on Lotto in 2023. She said, “I never knew that winning that National Lottery would mean I would get involved with amazing projects like this. I cannot believe how the dogs are trained and do so many helpful jobs for their partners.
It was Deb’s first voluntary day with other National Lottery winners. She said, “I was a bit nervous to meet all the other winners. It really isn’t the case that winning the National Lottery is all about posh holidays and flash cars. They are all just normal people who had a bit of luck. I’ve already made friendships for life, I now have a new National Lottery family and I can’t wait for the next project.”
Canine Partners is a UK charity that transforms the lives of adults living with physical disabilities by training assistance dogs to help them. The dogs are taught a range of tasks that will give essential support to their partner, including picking up and fetching items, opening doors and helping with dressing and undressing. They can even help to load and unload a washing machine and they can fetch help in an emergency. The charity then partners trained dogs with disabled people which helps with their confidence and independence courtesy of their new companion.
The charity has received various National Lottery grants over the years. Canine Partners CEO Alex Lochrane said, “A huge thank you to The National Lottery winners who have worked tirelessly to help transform our partners bungalow. As a charity we rely totally on the support and goodwill of people and organisations to train our life-changing assistance dogs. But our relationships don’t end there. By now having this bungalow refurbished and available to our partners and their families we can not only generate vital income but also stay in touch with those families long after our dogs have been placed.”
Canine Partners charity trustee Miriam Bentley-Rose, who is partnered with canine partner Laurel said, “I know how difficult it is to find affordable and accessible holiday accommodation for my needs. Their work will make a huge difference to not just Canine Partners, but to the many families who will spend quality time in our bungalow for many years to come. The hard work done by these National Lottery winners is simply priceless.”
For more information on Canine Partners visit www.caninepartners.org.uk
