GUIDE DOGS FOR THE BLIND

Last week I attended a celebration with my blind father in law and his ever faithful guide dog Chad. The celebration was to honour 75 years of Guide dogs for the Blind.
Guide dogs have been aiding mobility in blind and partially blind people for 2,000 years. It was a day to celebrate and honour the guide dog and the volunteers who make it happen.

The modern guide dog story, begins during the first world war, when thousands of soldiers were returning from the front blinded, often by poison gas. A German doctor, Dr Gerhaard Stalling had the idea of training dogs en masse to help those affected.

In August 1916 Dr Stalling opened the world's first guide dog school for the blind in Oldenburg. The school grew and new branches sprung up around the country.

In 1930 , two British women, Muriel Crooke and Rosamund Bond set up training in England of the first four British guide dogs and three years later The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association was founded.

Since then the Association has gone from strength to strength and now works towards a common goal ; to improve the lives of blind and partially sighted people.

The commitment of the people who work for Guides Dogs is as deep today as it ever was.

Guide dogs for the blind stands for freedom, dignity and independence. I still stand in awe and respect when I watch Chad my father in laws, Michael Tetley's golden retriever guide dog take him to London on the train and around the tube system better than I can do myself.

Long may this Association go on ..............

GIVE CHILDREN A BETTER CHANCE IN LIFE

At the Autumn conference in Aberystwyth members voted for legislation to be bought in to limit class sizes to 25 per class. I feel strongly in agreement about this and spoke at Conference to support the legislation. Last year I spent a day in a class at my local school and was told first hand by the Head Teacher and staff of the
benefits that smaller class sizes would offer . The finest investment our generation can make is to give high quality education to our next generation.If we are successful each and every child will be given the opportunity to realise their own potential . There is no doubt that smaller class sizes will be beneficial to a
pupil's education. The fewer pupils there are, the more attention the teachers can give each of them and therefore improve their learning experience.

As a business man, I also believe that a good education which smaller class sizes will deliver will set up the foundations for long term economic prosperity of Wales.

I also truly believe that smaller class sizes will help reduce behaviour and crime problems. Expert opinion confirms that children well taught and well cared for in their early years have a better opportunity to lead successful and rewarding lives.

We all have the same vision as parents and teachers. Many of our candidates are teachers themsleves. We understand the daily pressures of teaching large sized classes.

I believe that the Welsh Libe Dem class size policy is good for stability, good for staff and above all good for parents and children. Everyone is a winner.......