A Hampshire-based charity supporting people with autism has received a major funding boost, thanks to a partnership with prize draw operator Raffle House. Dogs for Autism, which provides expertly trained assistance dogs for autistic people, was handed an £8,474 donation this week—the first major contribution arising from its new collaboration with the UK-wide raffle company.
The charity, founded in 2019 by Hilary Armour—a dog trainer whose autistic son’s life was transformed by his own assistance dog—has made it its mission to supply highly trained dogs to autistic people of all ages at no charge. Dogs are raised and trained at the Dogs for Autism centre in Alton before being matched with their families, often by age two.
“The difference our dogs make is life-changing,” said Laura McCreadie, Fundraising Manager at Dogs for Autism. “It’s thanks to the kindness of people who choose our charity that makes this possible. Raffle House’s donation will help us to continue training and supporting the amazing dogs we work with, who have a profound impact on their partners.”
Raffle House, which runs prize draws for luxury homes and other prizes, enables players to direct a portion of their entry fee to the charity of their choice. Since players could first select Dogs for Autism as a partner last year, the response has been strong, resulting in this substantial first annual payout.
McCreadie says the relationship could make a real dent in the charity’s ever-growing waiting list. “Training a single assistance dog can cost around £25,000. As a small charity, we can only afford to start training five or six new dogs each year, yet demand is huge—when we last opened applications, over 700 people expressed interest in a two-week period. Every additional dog we’re able to train means another family we can help.”
With the latest donation, Dogs for Autism and Raffle House hope to expand their partnership even further. The goal is for future rounds of funding to fully sponsor the training of an additional assistance dog, helping more autistic people and families access transformative support.
James Mieville, Executive Director at Raffle House, said, “We’re pleased to be able to support such a worthwhile charity and are glad our players have quickly gotten behind Dogs for Autism. We hope to grow our partnership further so that in future, our financial support allows the charity to help even more people.”
Dogs for Autism remains unique in the UK as the only charity providing assistance dogs exclusively for autistic people, relying on donations to meet rising demand. With its first Raffle House donation in hand, the charity looks to 2026 with optimism—and hopes of supporting more families than ever.
