Galliford Try has been awarded a £7.6 million contract by The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association to build the charity's new Guide Dog Training School in Atherton, Greater Manchester.

The training school will provide a purpose built facility for training young dogs from initial stages through to qualification as a life-transforming guide dog - providing independence, confidence and freedom of mobility to blind or partially sighted people. The facility - one of four training schools in the UK - will also include an indoor training area, a hydrotherapy bath, a hospital area, indoor kennels for resident dogs, a lecture theatre, offices and external training areas.

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Work starts on the new Guide Dog Training School this month and will be completed by March 2009.

Director of Galliford Try Construction North, Bob Merriman, said: "We are very pleased to be given the opportunity to work with Guide Dogs to develop this new first-class facility, which will enable the charity to continue to be a world-leader in the training of guide dogs - enriching the lives of thousands of visually impaired people in the UK."

(CD/JM)