GOOD hearted taxi drivers in Tavistock are raising money to help train a guide dog in the town. The 13 drivers from Bernie's Taxis will be sponsoring a dog through the Guide Dogs for the Blind charity and will have collection boxes in their cabs as well as a number of offices and retail outlets throughout the town — including Focus Do- It-All on Plymouth Road in Tavistock. Andy Perkins, the firm's manager, told the Times the drivers' previous charity collection was given to a school in South Africa. Since 2002 they had raised more than £3,000, thanks to the generosity of their passengers and the efforts of the drivers. The original owner. Bernie Barnes, started the firm more than 20 years ago in Bere Alston — it is now run by his son Steve. The idea of fundraising for a dog for a blind person locally as their next charity seemed a perfect choice, as the firm has served many passengers with special needs over the years. Andy said: 'We have a couple of regular passengers who are blind so we thought this would be an extremely worthwhile cause. We also wanted our new charity collection to be kept local and said to Guide Dogs for the Blind that we would like to sponsor a local dog.' Guide Dogs for the Blind provides enhanced mobility to qualified individuals through partnership with dogs whose unique skills are developed and nurtured by dedicated volunteers and a professional staff. More than £5,000 is needed for the specialist training of a guide dog from puppy to dog and Andy said the drivers are determined to see the project through.
