The Duchess of Edinburgh got stuck in making Halloween treats during a heartwarming engagement.
Sophie, the Patron of Guide Dogs, visited the Guide Dogs Reading Hub today to learn more about the charity’s services for children with vision impairments.
The Duchess of Edinburgh met 12 families with children aged one to 18, all there to develop their independent living skills through the support and companionship of their buddy dogs, provided by sight loss charity Guide Dogs.
A buddy dog is a canine friend that helps a child with a vision impairment build confidence, increase physical activity, and improve well-being.
Duchess of Edinburgh gets stuck in making Halloween treats during heartwarming engagement
Guide Dogs
The children shared personal stories with the duchess about how much their buddy dogs mean to them.
The visit gave the mother-of-two a chance to hear how these dogs can have a hugely positive effect on the whole family.
The day was filled with engaging activities, including a hands-on Halloween-themed dog treat-making session, where the duchess joined the children in decorating ghost-shaped biscuits.
The children and the Duchess of Edinburgh used various cooking tools to make the activity accessible, such as talking scales, clear bowls to enhance the visibility of ingredients, brightly coloured utensils and contrasting coloured icing to aid visibility.
The Duchess of Edinburgh is a hard working member of the Royal Family
Guide Dogs
Techniques like using a spoon to measure out water were also taught to help the children learn safe and independent food preparation.
Robbie Campbell, Buddy Dog Operations Manager at Guide Dogs said: “It was a pleasure to welcome our Royal Patron to our buddy dog event today.
“Our young buddy dog owners delighted in seeing her get stuck in with the treat making and her genuine interest in their stories truly shone through.
“The Duchess of Edinburgh’s enthusiasm brought real joy to the day filled with smiles, wagging tails, and a lot of Halloween fun!
The Duchess of Edinburgh visited the Guide Dogs Reading Hub today
Guide Dogs
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“We are incredibly grateful to her for raising awareness of the impact buddy dogs can have on shaping young lives of children with sight loss.”
Guide Dogs currently supports 328 buddy dog partnerships throughout the UK.
The charity wants to bring new friends into the lives of more children with sight loss.