Charity jumping for joy following donation

The windfall comes as part of an ongoing package of support by coach operator National Express.

A cheque was presented to staff and service users at a fundraising event at National Express’ headquarters in Birmingham.

Coach Station Manager Sarah Sheppard, who was on-hand to reveal National Express customers have raised an amazing £10,000 for the charity.

Travellers have reached the major milestone after the UK’s largest coach company included the option to donate £1 to Canine Partners when booking a ticket online as part of its support for Canine Partners.

The move – part of a wider partnership which also includes free travel to people training assistance puppies, to familiarise them with public transport – forms a key element of National Express’ ‘Military Promise’ – a commitment to support people in the Armed Forces.

Station Manager Sarah Sheppard added: “It’s fantastic that our customers have so generously helped us support Canine Partners with this really generous donation and we are so pleased that it will go towards supporting people who need it the most.

“We’re really proud of our Military Promise and our partnership with Canine Partners, which supports a whole range of people from different backgrounds, including people who have been injured in service, is a key part of this.

“Welcoming the team to the station was a real crowd-pleaser and we look forward to having them back soon.”

National Express also provides free travel to people training assistance puppies to help with the process of familiarising the dogs with public transport.

People giving up their time to look after the puppies are eligible to travel free with their young dog to and from any of approximately 1,000 National Express stops across the UK.

Report and picture contributed by Canine Partners.