VISITORS to Webbs Garden Centres are being invited to find the ‘pawfect’ name for a new guide dog.

Generous customers have already raised more than £5,000 for charity Guide Dogs, giving them the opportunity to name a puppy and sponsor it for the first year of its life.

Webbs chairman Ed Webb said: “It’s fantastic that our efforts and the generosity of our staff and customers will significantly improve the quality of life of a blind or partially sighted person and we can now become part of their life-changing story.”

He added, “We are now running a competition to name a puppy; customers will be able to meet him or her at Webbs and we will follow its progress.”

Catrin Rod, from Guide Dogs, said: "Naming a puppy is a fantastic way for people and organisations to make a difference to the lives of people who are blind or partially sighted. Around 180,000 rarely leave home alone and without the help of fundraising schemes such as this we would not be able to help the number of people that we do - 822 new guide dog partnerships were created last year and we have helped more people than ever before. “ The puppy will be cared for by a volunteer puppy walker who will take the puppy for visits to the Wychbold store.

The competition will run until April 14. Entry forms can be collected in store or downloaded online from webbsdirect.co.uk and returned to the Webbs stores at Wychbold and West Hagley.

The winner and their family will be given £50 worth of Webbs vouchers plus a free guided tour of the Guide Dog facilities in Leamington.

It costs £5,000 to breed and puppy walk each guide dog and the lifetime cost of a guide dog is nearly £50,000. The guide dog service transforms the lives of around 4,600 blind and partially sighted people every year.