Robert recently met with Guide Dogs UK to discuss his ongoing support for the charity and their campaigning efforts. At the meeting in Witney, Robert met Winnie and Kimber, two guide dogs, and was taken on a "sensory walk", wearing a full blackout blindfold, so that he could experience for himself the difficulties faced by blind people.
He has helped with a number of Guide Dogs' campaigns recently, such as “Access all Areas” - ensuring that guide dogs are allowed into all necessary places (taxis, shops, etc.) to support their owners. Robert has also been doing a lot of work on accessible transport through the Transport Select Committee, on which he sits.
Speaking after the visit, Robert said: "Guide Dogs is a wonderful charity, training guide dogs that are a life-changing help to their owners.
"I have supported a number of Guide Dogs' campaigns recently, but I really wanted to do a bit more with the “Clutter Street” and “Pavement Parking” campaigns that show how difficult it can be for people who are blind or partially-sighted to find their way around our pavements and town centres.
"The 'sensory walk' was a real game-changing experience that brought those challenges home to me like nothing before. There’s much more we can do to make our pavements and town centres easier for blind or partially-sighted people to get around - and I found a number of practical issues that I will be writing to raise with the Council."
