A charity which has been transforming the lives of the blind and partially sighted for the last 85 years is celebrating the landmark year with an 85 mile walk.

Since Guide Dogs launched in 1931, it has paired around 30,000 dogs with people with visual impairments - with the Maidstone office currently helping 200 of those beneficiaries.

The charity also offers volunteer guides of the human variety, as well as cane training and rehabilitation for people aged 25 and under.

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Sarah Rolfe says her Guide Dog Logan has changed her life. The 27-year-old, from Marlowe Road in Larkfield was born with a condition called cone-rod dystrophy, which she likens to having a 5p piece in the middle of her eye, meaning she can only see around the edges.

She said: “I found going out a cane really scary, having to feel your way around things and I would have accidents where I’d bang my head or face. I still have a phobia about it.

“Now I have Logan it has meant I can be spontaneous. I did get out before but I had to be with somebody and I didn’t have the confidence to do things by myself and I certainly wouldn’t go anywhere new.

“Logan’s let me go to new places and now I don’t have to plan it, I can just put on his harness and go.

“I never felt confident and comfortable in my own skin. He’s changed my whole life. Now I can do boring things like food shopping that other people take for granted.”

The 85-mile sponsored walk starts at the charity’s Hove office on Tuesday, October 4 and is set to finish at the HQ in Turkey Mill on Saturday, October 8. The final two-mile leg starts at Willington Street at 2pm.

It is hoped the walk will raise £5,000, a milestone which would mean the centre would be able to name the next Guide Dog puppy.

A dog costs around £50,000 to train and support throughout its lifetime.

Cassi Moss from Maidstone Mobility Team added: “We see everyday how life changing the services are, and our clients would not be without their dogs. We hope to welcome as many people as possible to join us on one of the various legs of the walk to help continue that good work.”

To donate click here, or for details of the walk call 0118 9838711.