At The Somerset Lifestyle and Retirement Village in Somerset West, we love to make a difference in people’s lives. On Saturday, 15 July, we hosted the South African Guide-Dogs Association for the Blinds’ Charity Concert. A 21-piece orchestral band, masterfully conducted by Bob Mowday, entertained our residents in the clubhouse by playing swing, jazz, pop, and Latin songs. The band is a group of volunteers, who play for the love of it and are happy to donate their time for charitable events.

A Guide Dog is both a Working Dog and a faithful companion.

These dogs help visually impaired people. They safely guide their owners in different environments and situations.

The guide-dogs are also trained for people who are physically disabled as they assist their owners to open and close doors and drawers, and retrieve items from difficult-to-reach places.

Autism Support Dogs assist parents and caregivers of children with autism who tend to run off when distracted and provide companionship, comfort, and unconditional love in times of loneliness and feeling misunderstood.

The cost of training one dog is a staggering R200,000.

Two of our residents – Lorraine Nuttall and Pauline Marsden, worked hard behind the scenes. Thank you ladies, for organising such a wonderful event!