National Lottery cash boost for ‘doggies on prescription’ service combating loneliness across the North East

A unique befriending service providing isolated older dog lovers with the chance to have a furry friend again is celebrating today after being awarded nearly £570,000 from the National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK.

Wag & Company is the UK’s only visiting dog charity to visit older people in their own homes as well as in care and medical establishments. Launched in May 2016, it works across North East England to safely connect older dog lovers - no longer able to have a dog of their own and who may be at risk of loneliness - with professionally-assessed volunteers and their dogs.

The visits provide opportunities for the older person to have a regular chat with the owner, to exchange stories about pets they have had in the past, and to build a fulfilling relationship with a fellow dog lover - as well as to have a play and a cuddle with the dog itself.

Campaign for Loneliness research reveals that loneliness affects as many as 51,500 people older people across the North East. Studies suggest that, in some cases, feeling lonely can be as harmful to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

The £568,200 raised by players of the National Lottery, comes as a huge boost to Wag & Company, enabling it to double its activities by 2020 and to pursue its ambition of having volunteers in every community across the region – making sure no older dog lover misses out on the companionship of a furry friend and its owner.

One beneficiary, Sheila, who lives in County Durham, was widowed three years ago. After her own dog, Toby, died, she didn’t feel able to keep another dog. Thanks to Wag & Company Sheila now has regular visits from Diane and her rescue dog, Eddie. Sheila said: “I don’t see many people and I really look forward to seeing Diane and Eddie each week. They brighten up my life.”

A few years ago, John, who lives in Cramlington, Northumberland, lost his beloved wife, Nora, after 64 years of marriage. Shortly before, he also lost his 20-year-old Border Terrier, Mick. John told Wag & Company that his life was ‘empty’. Since his referral, he has made friends with Sean and Alfie the Labrador. John said: “Now I have a wonderful relationship with these lovely friends and my life has completely changed. I do get lonely living on my own, and I couldn’t manage to have a dog of my own now. This is the best of both worlds; it’s fantastic, it’s like winning the Pools!”

Diane Morton, founder, Wag & Company said: “Thanks to National Lottery players, Wag & Company can forever be providing friends with two and four legs to older people across the North East. We’ll now have the right resources and skills to grow to meet the huge need across the region and to reinforce our position as a vital tool in the battle against loneliness in our communities.

“We’re so grateful and proud on behalf of all our amazing volunteers and their friendship dogs. The people they visit really need them and, now, thanks to people who buy National Lottery tickets, many more lovely people will have a cuddle and a chat to look forward to when many would otherwise be alone.”

Duncan Nicholson, Head of Funding for North East & Cumbria region at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “As the largest funder of community activity in the UK, we’re delighted to be able to support projects that address loneliness and social isolation by bringing people – and dogs! – together. Thanks to National Lottery players, the ideas and inspiration of people like Diane will transform lives across the North East.”

Wag and Company’s £568,200 combines grants from both The National Lottery Community Fund’s ‘Reaching Communities’ awards and its ‘Digital Fund’, a UK-wide £15 million funding programme, designed to help the charity and voluntary sector to use digital tools to support people and communities to thrive.

The National Lottery Community Fund distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes. Between March and June 2019, it awarded £88 million to over 3,000 projects across England, supporting many different groups to take innovative approaches to tackling loneliness and isolation, among other things.

To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk