Watching puppies being put through their paces “many moons ago” inspired a Llanidloes man to raise £10,000 for Guide Dogs.

John Selwyn-Smith, last year’s Rotary Club president, took just 18 months to reach the ambitious target with the help of friends and fellow Rotarians.

Mr Selwyn-Smith said he was fascinated to watch guide dogs and their vision-impaired owners when he lived near the training school in Exeter.

“It was many moons ago, but it struck a chord with me, and I’ve been a fan of guide dogs ever since,” he said.

“I was Rotary president last year and made it my target to raise £10,000 towards training puppies.

“I had a committee working with me, who made an invaluable contribution.

“We reached our target with store collections, counter-top boxes, coffee mornings and an auction of promises. We also arranged a sponsored dog walk, but it had to be cancelled twice due to storms, so people donated money online instead.

“We’ve rehomed a former guide dog, a German Shepherd named Thistle, who comes fundraising with us. She’s a fantastic dog and came to us fully trained.

“The £10,000 target may have been reached but I plan to carry on fundraising.”

See this week’s Machynlleth & Llanidloes paper for the full story, available in shops and as a digital edition now