At our Banchory meet last night, we finished the evening by thanking our outgoing Local Coordinator, Edna Harris, for all the hard work she has done throughout her 10-year stint in the position. We celebrated with cake, and presented her with flowers and National Garden Vouchers. Attached is a photo, with Edna in the centre on the sofa.
The main topic of the evening was a talk given by a volunteer representative from the charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. These clever dogs aid their ‘recipients’ by responding to sounds such as door bells, ringing telephones, oven alarms and even crying babies by touching the human and taking them to the source of the sound. They are trained to respond to fire alarms by touching the human and then lying on the ground as soon as they’ve caught their human’s attention. Their owners say they gain great comfort and self-confidence through having a Hearing Dog, and for example can sleep soundly once again now they no longer have any worries about not hearing a fire alarm in the night.
You can spot these dogs in your neighbourhood by their smart burgundy coats, and we are all encouraged to speak to anyone we see with such a dog. A lovely introduction to possibly a new friend.
One of the wonderful aspects of NWR is that you never know what you’re going to learn about next.