John,
Is there any way we can help with donations ?
Do you accept credit cards ?
fredd
> Friends
> As some of you may have noticed, my signature file has included a URL for
the last few
> weeks regarding a Triumph Charity Run taking place this year in May. We're
hoping to raise
> $16,000 from sponsors to train one guide dog. We'll be covering 850 miles
in 24 hours and
> 16 cars have currently signed up.
> Today the national fund raiser for the Guide Dogs for the Blind
Association visited me at
> Gaydon to talk through the project - and *see* some Triumphs. He's been
blind since birth
> and turned up with "Nixon" who was a more than friendly six year old
labrador. When
> "Nixon's" harness was taken off, he knew he was off duty and underwent an
interesting
> character change. One of these is that he gets more than a little jealous
of what his
> owner does and it seems "Nixon" is more than enamoured with riding in
cars. He's not too
> fussy about the make but he got positively bitter and twisted when 'Dad'
sat in the
> driving seats of all the Triumphs on display. This was demonstrated on a
number of
> occasions by some lusty and meaningful barks that conveyed a comprehensive
message of the
> greatest discontent. By the time we reached the last Spitfire made, Nixon
was almost
> hoarse, couldn't bear it any longer and promptly went in through the
driver's door, over
> Dad's lap and plonked himself on the passengers seat. I never knew a
Spitfire hardtop made
> such a noise with a labrador's tail thumping it from the underside!
> As a result of this sudden canine lunge, the dog's lead got tangled round
the Spit's door
> handle and pulled it closed as Nixon surged inside with size fourteen
paws. Has anyone
> ever tried to rescue a blind person trapped in the unfamiliar surroundings
ofa spitfire,
> not knowing how to get out and with an guide dog licking his face and
belting him in turn
> with a long tail? Amusing and touching as that event was - I was greatly
humbled by the
> enthusiasm and interest of a young man who knows nothing but darkness,
gently running his
> sensitive fingertips over body contours, fingering switches and unaware of
the real
> differences between yellow, red, blue and green - but obviously having the
time of his
> life. As we parted company later in the afternoon, his thanks were profuse
in the extreme
> for "letting me see and really enjoy such delightful cars." I truly wished
he had been
> able to see them because I see them everyday and I take too much for
granted the
> information given to me by my eyes. He never will and as we all know, he's
missing so
> much.
> We've promised to do one thing before the Run sets off from Gaydon on May
6 at 11.30am.
> Barry is going to have his first ride in a fully restored Triumph and
"Nixon" will be on
> the back seat with the window wound fully down for a wet nose and ears
flapping in the
> slipstream. I really hope he doesn't bark on that occasion - or the driver
might have
> heart failure!
>
> Jonmac
>
> Triumph Charity Run in 2000 (in UK):
http://www.toolbox.ndirect.co.uk/stories/
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