A SPECIAL customer paid a visit to a Johnstone supermarket after the community helped raise thousands of pounds to sponsor a guide dog.

Since late 2017, customers at the town’s Morrisons store have been generously feeding a life-size model of a pooch with their spare change to raise funds for Guide Dogs Scotland.

Slowly but surely, the total built up to £5,000, enabling store bosses to sponsor the costs of training clever canine Mojo.

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Staff chose the name as a shortened version of ‘Morrisons Johnstone’ and were thrilled to meet the seven-month old pup when he visited the store.

Julie Scott, community champion at the Morrisons store, has thanked all those who have helped to pay for the costs of training Mojo, who is a cross between a German Shepherd and Golden Retriever.

She said: “I am absolutely ecstatic with the amount of money we’ve raised and it’s all down to our customers.

“The kids, in particular, have absolutely loved putting money in the life-size model of a dog.

“Apart from a couple of bucket collections, that’s where it’s all come from and it took us just over a year to raise £5,000.

“It was great to meet Mojo. Guide dogs are so intelligent and that showed in Mojo. These dogs give blind people a new lease of life and it’s a charity the company is very passionate about.

“We have already managed to raise a further £2,000 for sponsoring another one.”

Every Morrisons store across the UK has a community champion like Julie who are tasked to make their area a better places to live and work in, as well as taking the lead when it comes to fundraising for charity.

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Across the west of Scotland, Morrisons has raised £60,000 for Guide Dogs Scotland.

Staff at the Morrisons store in Johnstone are now looking forward to hearing all about Mojo’s progress.

Julie, 59, added: “Every four months or so we’ll get to see how Mojo is progressing and whether she has made it as a guide dog.

“I think she is beautiful. I would have taken her home if I was allowed.”

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