Maxol has announced Guide Dogs NI as its newly appointed charity partner in Northern Ireland. In selecting the charity, CEO of the Maxol Group, Brian Donaldson explained that it wasn’t until he met and spoke to a guide dog owner that he fully appreciated the life-changing impact these highly trained and intuitive dogs can have, giving a person not only confidence but independence too.
Over the course of the two-year partnership, Maxol, which is Northern Ireland’s leading family-owned forecourt and convenience retailer, aims to support the charity by increasing the
awareness and impact of Guide Dogs NI’s work. The family-owned company has also committed to funding the training of at least six assistance dogs across the island of Ireland. In total, it costs approximately £50,000 to breed, train, and care for each of these special dogs over the course of their working lives.
Guide and assistance dogs play a vital role for those with visual impairment, transforming their day-to-day lives and enabling them to feel safe and take part more in their communities.
Brian Donaldson said: “With so many charities in need of urgent funding, selecting just one to which we will commit our resources is hugely challenging. But when we looked not only at the work of Guide Dogs NI but the positive and tangible impact the charity can have on so many people’s lives – children, adults, and their families – we saw a really compelling case. This is an organisation with a strong and widespread community presence, much like our own business, and together with our local retailers we are looking forward to getting behind their work and ensuring Maxol makes a difference.”
Maxol will leverage its retailer network of more than 240 Maxol service stations across the island of Ireland and also hopes to garner the support of communities around the country to raise much-needed funds to help transform a person’s life.