[Acrylic-bob]

All of the above seems to argue for a boycott of the charity concerned.

The other day, I was in ASDA in Blackpool and noticed that a group of people with Guide Dogs were collecting for the charity. The dogs were so lovely and gentle they really tugged on the heartstrings and they were surrounded by an admiring and coo-ing coterie of shoppers.

Then I remembered a story told to me by a late friend, Jan. He worked for the Royal National Institute for the Blind as a transcriber of Braille. It happened that, shortly before I knew him, the RNIB was going through some sort of funding crisis and knowing that the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association had millions in the bank(I forget the exact sum but it was an astonishing amount) RNIB asked for a bit of assistance. After all, since they were both in the business of assisting people who were blind and visually impaired, they thought that Guide Dogs would be only too pleased to help. Sad to relate however, they were to be disappointed in their assumption, Guide Dogs turned them down flat!

I would imagine that their bank balance is even more bloated now, by the contributions of the well meaning, than it was twenty years ago.

A quick squint at their annual report gives the following information on page 10.
"for the twelve months ended 31st december 2003 net resources expended were £6.3 million compared with £9.3 million the previous year."

That is what they spent.

"our total incoming resources increased from £41.7 million to £44.7 million representing a significant rebalancing of our income and expenditure" To put it mildly, I should say!

"Guide Dogs has £108 millions of assets, which the trustees have conclude should be retained as investments."

So, not exactly short of a bob or two, you might say. Why then is there the need to send the hapless blind and their dogs out onto the streets to beg for money?