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It’s not every day that you get featured on national news.
We’re delighted to say that our Burns By Your Side reading dog scheme was featured on BBC Breakfast this morning.
For those that don’t know, Burns By Your Side helps children to improve their confidence and communication skills with the aid of specially trained volunteers and their companion animals.
The idea behind BBYS is that if a child is a reluctant reader, a dog is a compassionate listener who doesn’t judge. Reading to a dog creates an aura of calm, allowing children to feel at ease and communicate effectively.
The scheme has had an overwhelmingly positive impact on the well-being, self esteem and confidence of pupils and continues to flourish at many schools, colleges and libraries. We have 43 active volunteers based in educational settings across Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, Swansea, Carmarthenshire and Co. Wicklow, Ireland. At the time of writing, we are on track to deliver 18,480 reading sessions in 2019.
We run the BBYS scheme through our in-house charity, The Burns Pet Nutrition Foundation which exists to improve the lives of people and pets across the UK. We invest 25% of profits into giving back and employ 10 full-time staff who drive our charity work forward.
Watch the BBC Breakfast video below:
? Dogs are helping children read in parts of #Wales ?@Burnscommunity #Dog #TherapyDogs @educationsu @SwanseaUni pic.twitter.com/clXIfQqDlO
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) April 18, 2019
Would you like more information on Burns By Your Side? Visit burnsbyyourside.org.
