Monthly Archives: February 2015

Training Guide Dogs for the Blind

On the 4th of February 2015 the Forum welcomed representatives from Guide Dogs for the Blind for a presentation entitled Training Guide Dogs for the Blind.

We welcomed Belinda Hunter and Andrew Dixon accompanied by Eaton and Sam who are both Golden Retriever Labrador crosses and are guide dog puppies in training.  Belinda and Andrew are both voluntary guide dog walkers and their function is to take prospective guide dogs into their homes at seven weeks old and provide  basic training to the age of 14 months.  The dogs then go to a full time training establishment before meeting their blind owners who take over the dogs at two years of age.  They stay with their owners for six to eight years before retiring to become family pets.

Around 70% of dogs successfully complete their training, those unsuitable can become hearing dogs for the deaf, help dogs for disabled people or buddy dogs for young people with special needs.  Belinda described how dogs are selected for breeding and told us of the histories of the dogs she has had in her care.  She demonstrated with Eaton the stage of training that he has reached which involved responding to basic commands and the receipt of lots of treats.  Guide Dogs for the Blind is a charity completely funded by donations and two thirds of the dogs are funded by legacies.  After a lengthy question and answer session Colin Gaden proposed a vote of thanks and a collection was taken for the charity.

RAF Linton on Ouse – Alan Mawby

At the start of the Forum’s meeting on the 14th of January we stood for a moment’s silence in memory of member Frank McGuiness and former member Geoff Ward who had both recently passed away.

Our guest speaker was former Wing Commander Alan Mawby whose subject was “RAF Linton-on-Ouse” where he is the honorary curator of the RAF Memorial Room.  The establishing of the airfield was bound up with the lead up to the Second World War when in 1937 it was opened as a base for two bomber squadrons to combat the build-up of the Luftwaffe.  One of the first station commanders was Air Commodore Arthur Harris who went on to lead Bomber Command.

Alan related the war-time history of the station including the different types of bomber and various people who served at the station.  The first raid from Linton was a leaflet drop over Germany but many more destructive raids followed involving many fatalities to both aircrew and those on the ground.

After the war the station was handed over to Fighter Command which saw the first jets to fly locally and in 1957 it became a Flying Training School which it has remained to the present day.

Mike Cook proposed a vote of thanks for a most interesting talk.