Plant & cake sale for life-changing charity 

Liz Nicholls

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People’s free plant and cake sale will offer you a warm welcome on Saturday, 10th May, at the charity’s southern training centre in Saunderton near Princes Risborough  

Delicious homemade cakes and preserves, along with home-grown flowers and plants, will be just some of the attractions at this highlight, 10am-4pm.  

This year’s event will also feature a fun dog show, with a prize for the waggiest tail! 

The now-legendary sales, which are organised and run by the charity’s Buckinghamshire Fundraising Branch, led by Fiona and Rob Daniels, have grown from very humble beginnings into one of the most popular fixtures in the Hearing Dogs calendar. In fact, since they began in 2020, the team has raised over £100,000. 

Fiona and fellow volunteer Wendy Baldwin bake most of the cakes themselves, Fiona and Rob grow the plants and also make chutneys from their own garden produce. Another branch member, Peter Shepperd, will be making his famous Cornish pasties and chilli sauces.  

Anyone visiting with their own dogs will be welcome to take part in a fun dog show, with categories such as “the waggiest tail”, “musical sits” and “best catch”, among others. 

For those who have worked up an appetite after the other activities, there will be mouth-watering treats on offer, including cakes, savouries and delicious South African-inspired street food from award-winning local caterers Bokkie.  

Head to the grounds of the Hearing Dogs southern training centre, The Grange, in Haw Lane, HP27 9NS. NB: dogs should be kept on a lead and please clean up after them.  

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is a national charity that trains dogs that help deaf people leave loneliness behind and reconnect with life. The dogs do this through constant companionship and emotional support, giving deaf people the confidence to reconnect with their family, friends and community around them.  

Just as importantly, they help by alerting deaf people to important and life-saving sounds such as the smoke alarm, alarm clock and oven timers. Their burgundy coats also signal to the public that their partner is deaf. This combination of practical assistance and lifelong friendship can be life-changing. 

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