It wasn’t just another ‘ruff’ day at the office for staff at Epsom High Street’s Natwest on Wednesday, as they were joined by guide dogs to raise funds for two local charities.

Having just completed refurbishment, the branch used its relaunch to host volunteers from with charity Guide Dogs for the Blind and Swail House in Epsom, which care for blind and partially-sighted people.

Surrey Comet:

Jayne Ford, Natwest branch assistant manager with Janet Stirling from Guide Dogs for the Blind

And having the guide dogs in the branch lifted everyone’s spirits, warmly greeting customers and helping to raise around £400 from collection buckets.

Branch manager Joe Mingoia, 47, said: "Everyone had a great time, there was a fantastic atmosphere about the place.

"There were kids in the branch too, because they’re still all off school and they were playing with the dogs, and having a lot of fun.

"We were handing out goodies and we had a ribbon cutting and everything. It was something a bit different and we raised a lot of money with our collection buckets."

Surrey Comet:

Guide Dogs for the Blind and Swail House were chosen because they’re both very important local charities, he said, and staff wanted to especially support Epsom community projects.

Mr Mingoia, who has been the manager of the Epsom branch for 14 years, said: "The generosity of people around here will never cease to amaze me.

"These two organisations both do incredible work and they couldn’t be more deserving. We’re really glad we could help them out."