Jaguar Land Rover’s Solihull manufacturing plant has donated a go-anywhere Defender vehicle to Midlands-based charity Guide Dogs.
Through its guide dog training programme the charity provides mobility to blind and partially sighted people and also campaigns for the rights of people with visual impairment.
Over its 80-year history the charity has bred and trained more than 30,000 guide dogs which have supported many thousands of blind and partially sighted people.
Currently there are almost 5,000 guide dog owners in the UK where Guide Dogs trains almost 1,000 guide dogs a year including Jaguar Land Rover’s Solihull plant’s part-sponsored puppies Jag and Landy.
Each dog costs £34,000 to train over a two-year period with the average working life of a guide dog being six years.
Graham Kensett, head of mobility services for Guide Dogs said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive this Defender vehicle which will help more blind and partially sighted people to get out and about independently.
“The guide dog service receives no government funding and depends entirely upon public support including from businesses such as Jaguar Land Rover.”
The manufacturing team at Jaguar Land Rover’s Solihull manufacturing plant welcomed representatives from the charity and met Landy and Jag. The plant’s operations director Nigel Blenkinsopp and launch manager Peter Gray officially handed over the Defender vehicle.
Mr Gray said: “On behalf of the employees at the Solihull plant, we are hugely proud to donate this vehicle and others to such worthy causes local to us.
“Each and every one of our manufacturing employees contributes to the Land Rover Community Committee and we are pleased to see the difference our vehicles will make to the charity and the local community.”
Land Rover is currently in the final phase of production for its iconic Defender vehicle, which can trace its lineage right back to the start of the 4x4 revolution in 1948.
Production was due to end this December but demand for the vehicles has seen its production run extended into early 2016.
