Miss-Delectable
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Mail Online - Katie Nicholl's Celebrity Diary
The Merchant Taylors Hall was rather fittingly filled with tails last week, as celebrities and canines converged for the Specsavers Hearing Dog Awards.
This is an annual event hosted by the Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. HRH The Princess Royal is a patron of this wonderful charity, which trains dogs to alert deaf people to important sounds and danger signals in the home, work place and elsewhere.
Guests were treated to a champagne reception on arrival at the glitzy affair. I caught up with Meg Matthews, who was there with her daughter Anais. ‘It’s lovely that she came come to this with me,’ she gushed. ‘She just loves dogs and as it’s half-term is doesn’t matter if she’s up past her bedtime.’
Meg and 11-year-old Anais spent a lot of time playing with the puppies. These little dogs are set to be trained as hearing dogs, and there were queues of guests waiting for a cuddle!
Meg is a long-time supporter of the charity and attended the event last year. ‘Make sure you have tissues for the awards,’ she warned me. ‘You’re going to need them!’
She was right. A number of special dogs and their owners were awarded for their successful partnerships. Most touching was the story of Simon Moore and his dog Foggy. A video clip showed how Foggy has completely changed Simon’s life – turning him from a shy and lonely person into a confident young man with a new fiancée.
As Simon and Foggy ascended the stage to receive the Royal Canin Life-changing Hearing Dog of the Year, all the dogs in the room (and there were many) erupted into a happy chorus of barks, as if giving their own applause!
Esther Rantzen and her presenter daughter Rebecca Wilcox were gracious comperes for the evening. Esther enjoyed a charming flirtation with Strictly star Anton du Beck, commenting that he was quite a distraction during the delicious three course meal.
British alpine ski racer Chemmy Alcott was also in attendance. The beautiful gold medallist told me she often receives surprised glances when she puts in her hearing aid. ‘I was on the train earlier to get here,’ she confided, ‘and a group of young men started pointing and whispering when they saw me pop it in. That’s why charities like this which increase awareness of deafness are so important.’
An auction, hosted by Martin Roberts, was an enthusiastic end to a lovely evening. Despite the luxury lots on offer, all I wanted was to take one of the lovely dogs home!
Needless to say, I’m already looking forward to next year’s event.
The Merchant Taylors Hall was rather fittingly filled with tails last week, as celebrities and canines converged for the Specsavers Hearing Dog Awards.
This is an annual event hosted by the Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. HRH The Princess Royal is a patron of this wonderful charity, which trains dogs to alert deaf people to important sounds and danger signals in the home, work place and elsewhere.
Guests were treated to a champagne reception on arrival at the glitzy affair. I caught up with Meg Matthews, who was there with her daughter Anais. ‘It’s lovely that she came come to this with me,’ she gushed. ‘She just loves dogs and as it’s half-term is doesn’t matter if she’s up past her bedtime.’
Meg and 11-year-old Anais spent a lot of time playing with the puppies. These little dogs are set to be trained as hearing dogs, and there were queues of guests waiting for a cuddle!
Meg is a long-time supporter of the charity and attended the event last year. ‘Make sure you have tissues for the awards,’ she warned me. ‘You’re going to need them!’
She was right. A number of special dogs and their owners were awarded for their successful partnerships. Most touching was the story of Simon Moore and his dog Foggy. A video clip showed how Foggy has completely changed Simon’s life – turning him from a shy and lonely person into a confident young man with a new fiancée.
As Simon and Foggy ascended the stage to receive the Royal Canin Life-changing Hearing Dog of the Year, all the dogs in the room (and there were many) erupted into a happy chorus of barks, as if giving their own applause!
Esther Rantzen and her presenter daughter Rebecca Wilcox were gracious comperes for the evening. Esther enjoyed a charming flirtation with Strictly star Anton du Beck, commenting that he was quite a distraction during the delicious three course meal.
British alpine ski racer Chemmy Alcott was also in attendance. The beautiful gold medallist told me she often receives surprised glances when she puts in her hearing aid. ‘I was on the train earlier to get here,’ she confided, ‘and a group of young men started pointing and whispering when they saw me pop it in. That’s why charities like this which increase awareness of deafness are so important.’
An auction, hosted by Martin Roberts, was an enthusiastic end to a lovely evening. Despite the luxury lots on offer, all I wanted was to take one of the lovely dogs home!
Needless to say, I’m already looking forward to next year’s event.