Huge support for the Wag community, LNER supporting 40 Wag Teams!
Such a wonderful gift for Wag this year. It’s been very special to work with Rachael and the team at LNER and to receive their support through our Customer and Community Investment Fund. The grant also meant that LNER would fund the production of a video by acclaimed journalist and ex BBC Inside Out presenter,…
Fizzy Friday, 31st Jan: an afternoon of fun, fundraising and inspiring Wag stories!
31st January, was our second Fizzy Friday Fundraising Afternoon Tea at As You Like It in Jesmond! Another fantastic day, hosted this time by the wonderful Anna Foster from BBC Radio Newcastle who incredibly also donated her time. We sold all 120 tickets and raised almost exactly £6,000 – absolutely amazing! £6,000 funds 13 vulnerable people alone in their own homes to have Wag friends visiting most weeks for a whole year, friends for life, changing the way they feel about the world! Wonderful, here’s to next time! Friday 14 November. Save the date ✨
Older dog lovers in our region need your help!
Our volunteers are the beating heart of Wag, and by sharing their lovely dogs, they transform the lives of older dog lovers. All it takes is an hour or two most weeks.
We’re looking for volunteers and their cuddly dogs in the following areas. Can you help?
Volunteer profile: the Twiby Family
After teaching for 42 years, having spare time on my hands was not something I was used to. I even joined Facebook to fill in some time, and this was how I first learned about Wag in 2018. My husband, Dave, also retired, was keen to sign up too, and so we both joined Wag…
Facing fears and jumping out of a plane for Wag! Can you support Helen?
Helen’s not a fan of heights or flying (!) and says she’s “scared of everything”…but she’s still signed up to jump out of a plane at Peterlee for Wag in July! Wow, Helen! Can you support her?
Welcoming new Friends of Wag and growing our community
It’s such an honour for us when people choose to support us. We are particularly grateful to our Friends of Wag, who give regularly and help to enable over 2,300 people across the North East to regularly benefit from the company of our special Wag teams. It’s thanks to you all that we can continue…
Three years of friendship: our important new partnership with Newcastle Hospitals Trust
This is a really exciting time for Wag as we recently launched our three year partnership with Newcastle Hospitals Charity. We will be bringing smiles to the faces of patients and staff with visits from Friendship Dogs at the RVI, the Freeman Hospital, the Great North Children’s Hospital as well as patients in their own homes in the community. Another very special moment for our little charity, and we couldn’t be prouder!
We’re painting the North East Wag red!
It’s an incredibly exciting time for Wag, and we have a brilliant local marketing and communications agency The Works, to thank for that! Supported by Chris Owens’ wonderful photographs, their generosity and expertise have brought our very first BIG recruitment campaign to life, helping us to spread the word of Wag far and wide and inspiring more volunteers to join us in making our special difference.
Welcoming new Community Friends of Wag
Together we’re visiting residents in almost 150 residential care homes across the region and from the beginning we had hoped they would love what we do so much that the care homes would contribute to our costs. Until recently only a very small number helped, but we’ve been delighted to welcome 16 Community Friends who are supporting Wag, the most recent being Ashington Grange, part of the HC-One Group.
Older dog lovers in our region need your help!
February 2025 and here are just a sample of some very special people in need of Wag friends.
Older people in need across our region! Can you help?
January 2025 and here are just a sample of some very special people in need of Wag friends.
Volunteer profile: Sharon and lovely Mabel
“Giving a small amount of our time, meeting such lovely people and sharing our love of dogs makes such a big difference; it really is a privilege for both of us.”
Walk for Wag at Derwent 2024… a great success!
Thank you to the 130 walkers and 98 dogs of all shapes and sizes who walked for Wag at Derwent Waterside on 14th September. What a brilliant day! Walkers came from all across our North East region to give older people special Wag friends at some of the hardest times in their lives. There are…
Older people in need across our region! Can you help?
September 2024 and here are just a sample of some very special people in need of Wag friends.
Volunteer profile: Suzanne with gorgeous Gracie
Meet Visiting Wag Team Suzanne and Gracie, whose story highlights the incredible healing power of giving back.
Visiting Wag Team Helen and Toby visit Mrs Joan G in North Tyneside
Toby has a new, special friend in Mrs Joan G, who lives in her own home in North Tyneside. Joan always had black Labradors, but she sadly can’t have one of her own anymore, and she misses them dreadfully. She currently sponsors a guide dog to enable her to still feel close to them. Joan…
Visiting Wag Team Janet and Islay visit Mrs Sandra C in Stockton on Tees
Lovely Friendship Dog Islay has made a very special friend in Mrs Sandra C, who lives in her own home in Stockton on Tees. Sandra always had dogs, but she can’t have one of her own anymore, and she misses them dreadfully, telling everyone how much she enjoyed the company of dogs and what joy…
Visiting Wag Team Brooke and Rocky visit Mrs Vera S near Sunderland
Mrs Vera S has always had dogs. She’s had all breeds of dog: a Chihuahua, a Dachshund and a Boxer, to name just a few. Vera is a widow and lives alone, and due to her sight problems, it’s no longer possible to have a dog of her own. She said she greatly misses their…
Visiting Wag Team Louise and Bronte visit Mrs Sylvia A in Durham
Mrs Sylvia A was referred to Wag when her son, Chris, contacted us to ask about visits for his Mum. Mrs A had always had dogs, but due to health problems, she’s unable to manage a dog of her own any more. She has lived alone since her husband sadly passed away two years ago,…
Visiting Wag Team Carol, David and Poppy Twiby visit Mr & Mrs M in Middlesbrough
Carol and David joined Wag in early 2018 with Friendship Dog Harvey, closely followed by Friendship Dog Oakley. Throughout their time volunteering with Wag, they’ve visited three care homes, and Carol also visited a lady in her own home who became a very special friend. When Carol and David sadly lost their Harvey and then…
Visiting Wag Team Cheryl and Alfie visit Mr B in Whitley Bay
Mr B has recently moved into Eastbourne House Care Home in Whitley Bay. His daughter Jan is very supportive and involved in his care, but over time, both his mobility and memory have gotten worse, and she’s not been able to fully support him at home. Mr B has had dogs all his life and…
Visiting Wag Team Karen and Seren visit Miss R in Durham
Miss R is 90 now, and she’s always lived alone but never without the company of a dog. She’s had many different dogs over the years: Poodles, Terriers, Staffies, and Jack Russells, and when she lost her last dog less than a year ago, she felt she could no longer manage a dog of her…
Visiting Wag Team Jane and Andra visit Mr and Mrs G in Redcar
Mr G grew up on a farm and had dogs all his life. He and his wife have rescued and cared for many dogs over the years, often nursing them back to health. When they lost their last dog, they decided that they were unable to properly care for another dog of their own, which…
Visiting Wag Team Anita and Harry visit Mrs P in Sunderland
Mrs P lives in Sunderland with her husband. For health reasons, she can’t get out of the house now, and neither of them are well enough to have a dog again, having had them all their lives. Mrs P particularly has missed having a dog terribly, and she’s felt quite isolated too. Age UK Sunderland…
Visiting Wag Team Catherine and Dotty visit Mrs Janet D in Stockton-On-Tees
In 2022, Mrs D moved into an assisted living environment in Stockton-On-Tees. Having always lived with family, she found the transition to living alone difficult and felt very isolated at times. Her daughter is very supportive but doesn’t live close by and can’t see her mum as much as she’d like, so finding Wag &…
Visiting Wag Team Judith and Verdi visit Mrs Freda H in Redcar
Mrs H lost her husband some years ago, and she lives alone now in Redcar. She’s had some health difficulties, which have made it hard for her to get out and about as much as she once did, so she’s been spending a great deal of time on her own. Mrs H has had dogs…
Visiting Wag Team Eileen and Ruby visit Mrs Judith W in Redcar
We work hard to find great matches for our people! Sometimes they’ll express a preference for a big dog, a hypoallergenic dog, a dog who can sit in their lap, “definitely not a long haired dog”, and sometimes their preference is more specific, a Collie or a Jack Russell. Mrs Judith W who lives alone…
Visiting Wag Team Hannah and Floyd visit Mrs Leonie B in Stockton
Mrs Leonie B lost her husband some years ago and has lived alone ever since in Stockton. Like so many people, the restrictions around the pandemic were a difficult time and despite having a very close family, they mostly live abroad and she’s found herself becoming very isolated. Mrs B absolutely loves dogs, her last…
Visiting Wag Team Michael and Max visit Mr Jim S in Redcar
Here’s Friendship Dog Max the Cockapoo visiting his great friend Mr Jim S in his home in Redcar. Jim has been on his own since his wife sadly passed away and he has been spending more time on his own than he’d like. He’s always loved dogs and he had fox terriers of his own,…
Visiting Wag Team Brooke and Harry visit Mrs Ida C near Blyth
Mrs C lost her husband some years ago and lives alone near Blyth. She looks amazing but she won’t mind us telling you that she’s been pretty poorly and she’s in her 90’s! Whilst she sees her daughter regularly she still spends more time alone than she’d like and she’s been feeling really isolated. Mrs…
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