In an office and warehouse in Hillsborough, paw-mazing things are happening. Elsworth House, on Herries Road South, is the brand-new headquarters of the national Support Dogs charity.

This is not some out-of-town outfit that’s been priced out of the capital – homegrown in Sheffield, this dynamic charity has been changing and saving lives for 33 years.

Support Dogs trains and provides specialist assistance dogs to help autistic children, as well as adults with epilepsy or a physical disability, to lead safer, more independent lives.

What started out with just three dogs in a hut in the grounds of a cottage hospital on moors on Sheffield’s outskirts, helped more than 150 families and individuals across the UK last year alone.

Support Dogs specialises in three training programmes – autism assistance, epilepsy seizure alert and disability assistance.

Autism assistance dogs are trained to provide safety for autistic children and to reduce stress in social environments. 

One family which have benefitted hugely from Support Dogs are the Mills’, from Handsworth. Son Sam’s life has been turned around by faithful black Lab, Willow, who bounded into their lives eight years ago.

Sam, 15, was diagnosed with autism at the age of five, followed a year later by depression. He has sensory difficulties, which means he struggles with noise and crowds and could often lash out and have meltdowns. Sam had no sense of danger and could run into traffic, couldn’t leave the house, hid from visitors, never felt safe and mum Emma said she never heard her son “laugh, play or saw him smile”. But Willow changed all that – thanks to her, visits to crowded places like supermarkets, restaurants and theme parks and even Disneyland are now possible.

Emma said: “Sometimes I get upset thinking how life could have been if we hadn’t had Willow – she conquered my fears for Sam and I feel quite privileged to have had that opportunity.”

While the family feels Sam will confidently live adult life independently, Willow will retire shortly, remaining with the Mills as a beloved family pet, providing comfort to Sam for as long as he needs it.

Another person whose life has been transformed by Support Dogs is Rajwinder Kaur, who is confined to a wheelchair after contracting polio as a one-year-old. The 44-year-old relied heavily on her husband and carer, Hardeep, for support and couldn’t go anywhere on her own. But thanks to Yellow Labrador Rocky – trained by Support Dogs – Rajwinder has been able to regain her independence.

Three-year-old disability assistance dog Rocky helps Rajwinder with a range of everyday tasks, from picking up dropped items and opening doors to loading and unloading the washing machine, getting dressed and fetching help.

“Now, if I need to reach for something, I don’t need to call for my husband,” said Rajwinder, who lives in Birmingham.

Support Dogs is the only organisation in the UK to provide and train seizure alert dogs for epileptic people.

Lynn Ratcliffe, of Cheadle, Greater Manchester, says Support Dogs has given her her life back, having been plagued by epilepsy for years. Leaving the house, boiling a kettle and even having a bath were risks and she had to quit her job and give up driving.

Seizure alert dog Barnby is Lynn’s third support dog and has been trained to give Lynn a 100 per cent reliable alert 29 minutes before an oncoming seizure. It means the 66-year-old can get to a place of safety and have her seizure in privacy. She can also continue to attend her beloved Manchester City matches – Barnby’s predecessor, Simba, accompanied Lynn to see the side lift 18 trophies.

These success stories are just the tip of the iceberg.

Last year, more than 29,000 families and individuals accessed Support Dogs’ application pages. But due to funding restrictions, the charity has been unable to meet this overwhelming demand.

That’s why Support Dogs has acquired Elsworth House, to enable it to expand and increase the number of dogs it trains, and therefore people it helps, by more than 300 percent.

The premises will be transformed into a pioneering, state-of-the-art facility featuring dedicated spaces to better meet the sometimes complex and varied needs of clients, while ensuring its wonderdogs have the very best training facilities and welfare provision. The new, purpose-built HQ will also feature a Community Heartspace, to reach even more people and develop community and education services.

Support Dogs provides its services entirely free of charge, receiving no government funding and relying on voluntary donations. It has launched a Capital Appeal to raise £2.3million to fund the scheme.

Rita Howson, chief executive of Support Dogs, started out as a volunteer with the charity 32 years ago. She said: “I’m proud to be at the helm of Support Dogs as our new national centre of excellence represents a huge step-change for our charity. It’s heart-breaking to not be able to meet the demand for our services, but our new centre will go some way towards changing that.”

Support Dogs couldn’t provide its incredible services without its loyal army of around 200 volunteers. Available roles include puppy socialisers, doggy foster carers, drivers, admin, fundraisers and talks ambassadors.

To find out more, please visit www.supportdogs.org.uk or call 0114 261 7800.