Jollyes has made a donation of £500 to Guide Dogs for the Blind as a thank you to football legend Harry Redknapp, who opened its new store in Poole, Dorset.

The new store, at Wessex Gate East Retail Park, Poole, enjoyed a “paw-some” opening on Saturday 20 August when customers turned out in force.

The highlight was the official opening and ribbon cutting performed by Poole resident Harry Redknapp who was there with his wife Sandra and their bulldog Barney.At Harry’s request, Jollyes agreed to make a donation to Guide Dogs to support their work in helping people with sight loss.

This week, Jollyes Poole store manager Tom Amos and Jollyes southern area manager Sam Wells handed over the £500 cheque to local Guide Dogs volunteers Debbie Booth and Sue Bossom and puppy raiser Sylvia McIntyre.

Sue Bossom, who has been volunteering with Guide Dogs for 10 years, said: “We know that Harry Redknapp is a supporter and it’s absolutely wonderful of him to think of us and for Jollyes to make this donation which will go towards training dogs and other services.”Sam Wells said: “Harry Redknapp helped to make our opening day a memorable occasion for all our colleagues and the pet parents who came along, so we’re delighted to make the donation to Guide Dogs who do such fantastic work, here in Poole and around the country.”

Guide Dogs’ Gemma Spencer, Community Fundraising Manager, said: “We’d like to say a big thank you to Jollyes and Harry Redknapp for this donation. Every day in the UK, 250 people start to lose their sight and all the money raised for us can make a big difference to the people we support.”

The 5,000 square feet Poole store employs 10 colleagues and is the first Jollyes store in Dorset, complementing Jollyes outlets in neighbouring counties of Hampshire, Somerset, Devon and Wiltshire, including Bridgwater, Chippenham, Congresbury, Plymouth, Portsmouth and Waterlooville.