Poole Care Home Resident’s Guide Dog Reunion Wish Comes True
A resident of a care home near Sandbanks received a surprise visit from a group of guide dogs to celebrate her birthday.
Myrna Chave MBE, who lives at Marjorie House care home on Crichel Mount Road, told the care home team about her special birthday wish which was to meet some dogs from the charity where she volunteered as a fundraiser with for over 50 years. Marjorie House runs a ‘Make A Wish’ initiative which enables residents to share their wish, which the care home team will try and make happen.
Myrna was awarded an MBE in 2006 for her work for Guide Dogs and the wider community, which included working with 30 schools in the Poole area.
The team at Marjorie House got in touch with Guide Dogs, whose volunteers were more than happy to enable Myrna’s special wish. The volunteers and dogs gathered in one of the home’s three dining rooms, alongside Myrna’s son, her friends, the Mayor of Poole, Cllr Pete Miles, and her fellow residents, ready to surprise her.
Myrna said: “It was the biggest surprise of my life. I never expected to enter the room and have a special surprise like that, with so many kind people and so many lovely dogs. It was lovely to see them all again.”
John Oldridge, Volunteer Puppy Raiser at Guide Dogs, visited Marjorie House with Lorenzo the 16-month-old guide dog puppy. John said: “It was wonderful to be invited to Myrna’s birthday surprise after she volunteered as a fundraiser for us for 50 years, which is a phenomenal achievement. She loved seeing the guide dog puppies and our ambassador dogs who came along to surprise her.”
Sebastian Wincelewski, Home Manager at Marjorie House, said:
“Volunteering for Guide Dogs was Myrna’s lifelong passion, so we thought that it would be nice for her to see the dogs and volunteers again. It was lovely to see her happy tears and a beautiful smile to her face, when she saw them. At Care South, we love to make the special wishes of our residents come true, which may not be possible without our help and assistance.”
