Desmond Wilcox Volunteer of the Year 2017
From raising five litters of tiny puppies, to raising thousands of pounds in her spare time – there’s no doubting that Irene Rich from Hampshire has deserved the Desmond Wilcox Volunteer of the Year Award for her outstanding contribution to Hearing Dogs.
Nicholas Orpin, Community Fundraising Manager at Hearing Dogs said one of her biggest contributions has been reviving a fundraising group which was about to close, and transforming it into a thriving success.
Irene has also changed lives via the Charity’s breeding scheme. Her first breeding mum, Cora, a Working Cocker-Spaniel, had 18 puppies from four litters. She now has Evie, a show Cocker-Spaniel, who’s had six puppies so far.
Supply Team Leader Claire Jones says of Irene: “She’s compassionate and does anything and everything she can do for Hearing Dogs. She speaks for the charity, organises events and is part of the display team.”
Irene, who is incredibly humble about the accolade, said: “I believe in the Charity and feel part of a family and valued. You’ve only got to meet a couple of hearing dog owners to see how isolating and confidence-sapping deafness can be.
“Holding a new-born puppy in your hand is a miracle and seeing one of my puppies do a demonstration of what they’ll do for a deaf person is a huge highlight.”
