The Cuddle Club

30/09/2026

Two brothers from the same litter grew up to spend years changing people's lives in different English cities. Then retirement created an unexpected chance for them to spend much more of their later years together.
Carlo and Chips are Labrador-Golden Retriever crosses born in 2014 in Henley-in-Arden, England. They were two of eight puppies in the same litter and eventually followed the same remarkable career path by becoming guide dogs. Guide Dogs
Their working lives, however, took them in different directions.
Carlo qualified as a guide dog in January 2016 and was partnered with Charles Bloch in Coventry. Charles has only about 10 percent vision, and Carlo supported him through university and later during his work at Coventry's Belgrade Theatre. Chips qualified the following month and went to work with his owner in Peterborough. Guide Dogs
The brothers were not completely separated during those years. Charles says they crossed paths a few times over roughly nine years, and whenever they did, they seemed inseparable.
Then came an extraordinary coincidence.
In November 2023, Charles learned that Chips was retiring and needed a retirement home. He was stunned to discover that his friend Fin Findlay, a Guide Dogs volunteer who also lived in Coventry, had been selected to take him. Guide Dogs
On January 5, 2024, the brothers met again at War Memorial Park.
Charles said Carlo and Chips certainly seemed to recognize one another. Instead of two senior working dogs calmly greeting each other, they raced around the park together. Fin described them as running around like puppies again. Guide Dogs
This time, however, saying goodbye did not have to mean returning to cities more than 100 miles apart.
Chips was now retired in Coventry. Carlo was still working beside Charles, and both humans were involved with the local Guide Dogs fundraising group. That meant the brothers could share park trips and events much more regularly.
We cannot know exactly what Carlo and Chips remembered about growing up together.
But their humans saw something unmistakably familiar in their excitement.
Two puppies from the same litter grew into dogs who spent years guiding people through the world.
And after all that work, life found a way to bring their paths together again.

28/09/2026

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬. ❤️

Roscoe and Louise, who lives with dementia, seen here sharing a beautiful moment of connection.

Horses have an incredible way of reaching us without words. They don’t ask us to remember, explain or communicate, they simply meet us where we are.

Just as they do for all horse owners, for people living with dementia, time spent with horses can bring comfort, calm, sensory stimulation and, perhaps most importantly, moments of connection and joy. A gentle touch, a warm breath or the feeling of a familiar animal beside you can unlock memories and emotions that words sometimes can’t.


We wish you a wonderful weekend with your horses ❤️

10/07/2026

Stuart Hutchison was 25 years old and had spent eight years battling a brain cancer that, by June, had spread to his bones and pelvis. Faced with the relentless advance of the disease, he decided to spend his final weeks at his mother’s home in Scotland, with her as his full-time caregiver.

On August 11, while his wife Danielle stayed by his side, her father went to pick up some glasses from the home the couple shared. There, he noticed that Nero, Stuart’s French bulldog, looked unwell and rushed him to the vet. The doctors found a rupture in the dog’s spine.

Stuart died at 1:15 in the afternoon. Nero passed away just 15 minutes later, his mother, Fiona Conaghan, told the Mirror. He had two other dogs, but his bond with Nero was different: they went everywhere together. Danielle was left devastated by the double loss on the same day.

08/07/2026

Congratulations 🎉

The Cuddle Club is incredibly proud to visit Harrier Lodge once a month

Have you heard the good news?!

We’re proud to have been awarded a ‘good’ rating in our recent inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as part of its evaluation assessing safety, effectiveness, caring, responsiveness and leadership within the home.

Inspectors highlighted how our team members ensure residents are empowered to make informed choices and have maximum independence and control over their lives.

We’d love to give you a show round, and tell you more about life at Harrier Lodge – book your tour today.

17/06/2026

14/06/2026

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29/05/2026

Bless her heart - Fabulous - you go girl ♥️

08/05/2026

An equine charity is urging policymakers to include alternative learning approaches—such as equine-assisted interventions—in plans to improve support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

In February, the Government released its “every child achieving and thriving” white paper, outlining proposed reforms to schools and the SEND system. The consultation includes measures aimed at improving outcomes for children with SEND, such as providing earlier and fairer support, increasing accountability among local partners, investing in staff training, making mainstream education more inclusive, and introducing new specialist provision packages.

Bristol-based HorseWorld, which has run its Discovery programme for 18 years, delivers part-time, therapeutic, skills-based interventions designed to complement mainstream education. In response to the white paper, the charity hosted a round-table event with stakeholders including schools, alternative learning providers, local authorities, parents, and MPs to discuss how the proposed reforms could work in practice.

A key focus of the discussion was how part-time alternative provisions—like equine-assisted learning—can support early intervention, inclusion, and prevent issues from escalating. Following the event, HorseWorld published a report highlighting the “vital role” these providers can play in helping young people re-engage with education and avoiding more complex needs developing over time. The report stresses that “earlier, more flexible intervention can lead to better outcomes – for individual children and the system as a whole”.

HorseWorld chief executive Jo Coombs, who is also a parent of two children with SEND, believes equine-assisted learning providers should actively contribute to the consultation process.

“This is the time for the horse world and others in equine-assisted learning to say what we do is, and can be, as mainstream as maths and English for neurodivergent children and children with SEND,” she said.

“There are some good things in the white paper, but there are some things that can be built upon and bits for concern. We really hope to start conversations, one around part-time provisions supporting mainstream rather than being an alternative to it. We’re not an alternative to school, we’re specialists working with schools – and that’s really important because I don’t think the white paper addresses this.

“We are also championing equine-assisted and the role of horses as teachers, which is not for every child, but for the children it is for, it can have such a quick impact.”

Bath MP Wera Hobhouse, who attended the event, emphasised the importance of creative approaches in SEND education.

“There is an urgent need to reform the SEND system, and parents are rightly concerned about how the funding announced by the Government will translate into real change within schools that are already overstretched and under-resourced.

“What came up time and again was the importance of creative subjects for children with SEND, particularly neurodiverse children. Creative subjects are not an optional extra; for many children with SEND they are where confidence is built and talents are discovered. If the Government is serious about inclusion, it must protect a broad and creative curriculum.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Education responded:

“Our reforms are resetting the way we view inclusion to create an education system fit for every child no matter their needs or background, including through providing schools with direct funding to make changes that prioritise inclusion and ensuring trained specialists are available within every community.

“For children with the most complex needs we are guaranteeing specialist provision packages – expert-designed plans with full legal protections, setting out exactly what each child requires, from specialist teaching and therapies to communication devices.”