Clitheroe family share their story in BBC Lifeline Appeal with Guide Dogs

Guide Dogs’ Lifeline Appeal, which first aired Sunday January 28 on BBC One, featured three people who have benefited from Guide Dogs’ life-changing services, including Eliza.

During the ten-minute programme, presented by actress Wendi Peters, Lauren shares how it felt to receive such life-changing news about her baby. We also see how Eliza has progressed following her sessions with Lindsey Tibot, Habilitation Specialist for Guide Dogs.

Eliza’s parents came away from the diagnosis feeling so overwhelmed. They had just been handed this shocking news and they didn’t know what to do next, where to go or who to speak to.

Eliza’s Mum, Lauren, said: “At first we were just shocked. She was such a happy little girl and she just wanted to get up and go; we couldn’t understand that all this time she couldn’t see us or anything around her”.

Lauren said: “We had no idea what to do, we were grasping at straws and trying to find out everything we could.

“After going through every possible scenario, we took the mindset that just because we found this out, nothing had really changed about her. We tried to continue with her as normal as possible – with some extra sensory toys and a lot more music”.

Lauren saw the Guide Dogs TV advert about a young girl, who in the advert was learning to navigate her way around a school with the support and encouragement of a member of staff. Another family suggested they should contact Guide Dogs.

They telephoned Guide Dogs to ask if there was anything available for Eliza, with her being so young. Lauren said: "Guide Dogs put us in contact with their family support team, referred us to the community team, and the education team helped us to make sure we got a nursery place which Eliza would benefit from the most”.

Guide Dogs’ Children and Young People (CYP) Services help children to develop a wide range of skills, with the focus on key early years development areas such as early movement, self-help practical skills (including feeding and dressing), and social and communication skills.

Although the CYP services are not new to Guide Dogs, they are not as well-known as the furry, four-legged kind that the public know and love.

Eliza now gets regular visits from her Habilitation Specialist, Lindsey, who is a dedicated member of staff that teaches Eliza how to learn about her environment.

Lindsey said: “I’ve seen a huge difference in Eliza’s confidence and skills. She’s so determined and is becoming so independent. We're starting to explore more of the outside world now and Eliza has been introduced to a long cane.

“Eliza has a real sense of humour and she’s flying with her progress. She’s a real superstar!”

Guide Dogs has made a huge difference to Eliza’s life, but it has also provided Eliza’s family with support and reassurance. Lauren said: “I ask quite a lot of questions and they have cleared up a lot of my worries. They also introduced us to local visual impairment groups, and that’s helped to see how older children have managed”.

Eliza has now been getting support from Guide Dogs for 18 months and her family can see the huge impact. Lauren said: “Nothing will stop Eliza, she is going to find her own way through life. This has made it easier to accept her diagnosis and we’re giving her as much independence as we can.

“I don’t know where we would be without Guide Dogs help”.

Actress Wendi Peters donated her time to present the Appeal on behalf of Guide Dogs. She said: “Being a dog owner myself, I know the huge benefits dogs can bring to people’s lives. I’m proud to have been an Ambassador for the charity since 2012 and over the years I’ve seen how these extraordinary animals can transform lives.

“Guide Dogs have developed a wide range of services with and without dogs to support people living with a vision impairment. Children and adults. Friends and family. They’re a charity, almost entirely funded by donations so I hope people will watch this Lifeline appeal to learn more about how Guide Dogs help people with sight loss to live actively, independently and well.”

Every pound raised as part of this BBC Lifeline Appeal will be matched by the charity’s trusted corporate partner Petplan up to the value of £20,000.

Guide Dogs’ BBC lifeline Appeal is now available to watch on BBC iPlayer here.

Further information about Guide Dogs can be found at: guidedogs.org.uk