Most people will recognise the Burns trademark as a natural brand of dog or cat food and the number of stores available across Wales, whilst few will know the story behind the Burns Foundation charity.
Set up by veterinary surgeon John Burns in 1993, the charities aim is to help as many humans and animals as possible and this may have started with John Burns’ healthy brand of pet food, but today it extends well beyond this.
The John Burn’s Foundation (JBF) is the charity where 25% of the profits go to help the communities of West Wales and beyond. They say
“Our charity mission is to help as many dogs and humans as we can. After all, if it wasn’t for pets and people, our natural pet food wouldn’t have a paw to stand on.”
They do this through community focused projects and nationwide campaigns helping to support mental and physical health, and to improve social isolation and overall well being.
In 2018, the JPF donated over £1 million to charity to mark 25 years of trading.
“We’re on a mission to use the success of the business as a vehicle for positive change not just in the pet food industry but in the local community and beyond. To this end, we are proud to run a number of grassroots projects and we organise regular fundraising events.”
One of the most exciting projects supported by the John Burn’s Foundation, is the Burns by your Side project, helping to support literacy in schools. The reading with dogs’ scheme is a unique idea, tried and tested previously in the US, which pairs a dog with a child in school surroundings, to help them to improve their reading skills.
Burns By Your Side invites trained volunteers and companion animals to help children improve literacy and confidence skills through reading-with-dogs sessions.
They say;
“The idea is that a dog creates an aura of calm, allowing children to feel at ease and communicate more effectively.
From Snoop the Chihuahua to Hoola the Whippet, the range of dogs taking part in the scheme are as varied as their owners. The programme has been active since 2016 and we now have over 65 volunteers across West Wales and the East Coast of Ireland.”
Over 18,000 reading sessions were predicted for this year, although this may well have been affected by Covid 19.
The idea behind Burns by Your Side, they say, is that if a child is a reluctant reader, a dog is a compassionate listener who doesn’t judge. Reading to a dog creates an aura of calm, allowing children to feel at ease and communicate more effectively.
“The scheme has had an overwhelmingly positive impact on the wellbeing, self-esteem and confidence of pupils and continues to flourish at many schools, colleges and libraries.
Our volunteers are based in educational settings across Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, Swansea, Carmarthenshire and Co. Wicklow, Ireland.
Our scheme is in high demand and regularly train and place new volunteers. This means that if all goes to plan, by 2020 we will have 100 trained humans and dogs modelling BBYS uniforms and empowering tomorrow’s generation.”
The Burns Foundation is keen to note the many benefits to having a dog in the classroom and state that reading with a dog can
- motivate a child to read independently and
- build self-confidence and self-esteem
- improve reading fluency
- a child feel less stressed and anxious
The scheme has also proven to be extremely beneficial to children with learning disabilities and conditions such as autism.
“The scheme also supports children in nurturing or special provision units to help increase feelings of well-being through a therapy visit.”
In March 2019 the JPF worked with an Oxfordshire based assistance dog charity, Dogs for Good who were hosting a 3-day Family Dog Workshop at the Princess Gwenllian Centre in Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire.
Programme Development Manager, Carol Lincoln said at the time:
“We are very excited to be collaborating with Dogs for Good a charity that has been pioneering the work of animal assistance dogs for 30 years. Bringing an innovative training service using a family’s family dog to help children with autism in south west Wales is a first in the area and we can’t wait to get started.
We hope that anyone that cares for a child with autism will come along to the first three-day workshop, so that they can learn more about the programme and make this happen in west Wales.”
So, what happens at a therapy session?
“Preferably on a one-to-one basis, a child will read or communicate with the Burns by Your Side dog. The dog is supervised at all times by the skilled handler, who will remove any pressure from the child and provide gentle support. The environment creates a calm non-judgmental atmosphere where additional reading or communication practice builds vocabulary and fluency.”
The Burns by Your Side project is open to children in schools across West Wales and beyond including Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire, Swansea and Neath Port Talbot. They also welcome libraries, special education units and further education settings.
Burns by Your Side are always looking for volunteers to help take part in the project. They say that volunteering will give the person and their dog the opportunity to become a trained volunteer team, helping to improve children’s literacy and confidence, visiting a local school for a few days each month.
If you would like to get involve or to find out more about the scheme and the Burns Foundation – Find out more here.
