THE Bromsgrove branch of a national charity has raised thousands through a number of fundraising activities but still needs the support of the public.

Dogs for the Disabled Bromsgrove Supporter Group, which started in 2011, raised more than £18,500 through a number of fundraising activities last year.

Activities have included running charity stalls at local events, as well as supporting Redditch Golf Club that chose Dogs for the Disabled as its charity of the year.

To date the group has raised nearly £34,000, and the fundraisers are thanking everyone who has supported the fundraising, attended events, donated cash and given up their time to volunteer.

Dogs for the Disabled creates a partnerships between people and dogs that help children and adults with physical disabilities and affected by autism.

The charity has trained more than 700 assistance dogs to date, with more than 300 currently working in England and Wales.

It costs £12,000 to fund the training from birth to a fully trained assistance dog, and £20,000 to fund the dog its entire working life.

The charity receives no Government funding and relies entirely on donations, fundraising and volunteers to continue its pioneering work.

A fresh appeal has been made for volunteers to get involved with the branch's work. Anyone interested is asked to email Jane.Sargent@dogsforthedisabled.org.

Stephanie Lawless, from Dogs for the Disabled, said “As always we would like to thank all the group members for their hard work raising these desperately needed funds and for helping to spread the word about how our dogs change lives.

"Nationwide our supporter groups raised over £170,000 during 2014, and we’re extremely grateful to them all.”

To make a donation visit the charity's website, dogsforthedisabled.org, or call 01295 252600.