Guide Dogs has become the latest charity to team up with the comics industry to promote its work.

The charity has linked up with iconic British children’s comic Beano, whose characters include Dennis the Menace and the Bash Street Kids.

Through the partnership a bespoke comic strip story has been created to raise awareness of issues facing children and young people with a visual impairment.

In addition, an audio version of the comic strip is being released for those with sight issues, which is a first for the comic that first published an edition in 1938.

It is also being released in digital format and with a dyslexia-friendly typeface to increase its accessibility.

Called A Buddy for Life, the story shows Bash Street Kids character Erbert talking about his visual impairment with his friends.

The charity is also looking to raise awareness of high rates of bullying among children with sight loss though the Beano link up. Eight out of ten adults with a visual impairment said they were bullied as children.

It is also promoting its Buddy Dog service which matches children with dogs.

The story is being made available as an insert in the Beano issue being released this week.

‘A Buddy for Life’, our special collaboration with @BeanoOfficial and the first audio comic strip story created especially for people with a vision impairment, launches today📢 (1/3) 👇 pic.twitter.com/KvNVW6keZl

— Guide Dogs (@guidedogs) May 1, 2024

"Our partnership with Beano will help children learn more about visual impairments and the various services Guide Dogs offers in a fun yet educational way, said Guide Dogs head of accessibility Alex Pepper.

“With Erbert opening up about his visual impairment to the Bash Street Kids for the very first time, we hope to encourage people to feel more comfortable sharing their sight loss experience.

“We aim to raise awareness of sight loss through our fully accessible bespoke comic strip story, which includes a first-of-its-kind audio version that enables everyone to enjoy and access the content across multiple formats.

“We hope to normalise these conversations so young people can better understand how to be inclusive and supportive of everyone.”

The Beano’s editorial director Craig Graham added: “At Beano, it’s important to us to reflect kids’ experiences and help them navigate life with the fun and mischief that all kids should get to enjoy.

“BEANO Presents - A Buddy for Life’ has given us the opportunity to talk at length about sight loss, which has been a particularly special project for me as someone who has a visual impairment.

“We hope that this special Guide Dogs comic story brings joy to kids, whilst also helping them understand more about sight loss, how to be there for their friends and highlights the services available to kids and young people that Guide Dogs offer.”

This latest partnership for Guide Dogs comes as it estimates around 160 redundances will need to be made as it tackles a £20m funding gap amid the cost of living crisis.

Comics and other good causes

Other collaborations between comic books and good causes in recent years have included the release of a comic to highlight mental health issues facing military veterans.

This involved a linkup between health charity Re live and comic creators including the late artist Ian Kennedy, whose credits included Dan Dare, Commando and 2000AD. Also involved were Supergirl artist Emma Viecheli and Clark Bint, whose credits include Heavy Metal.

Among the most famous such partnerships was when DC Comics’ Superman took part in an anti-smoking campaign in the 1980s. This featured specially created villain the 'Evil Nick-O-Teen' and was paid for by the UK government Health Education Council.



Another, was a 1985 collaboration between the American Friends Services Committee’s famine relief efforts in Ethiopia and Marvel’s X-Men. This Heroes for Hope project raised £130,000 for the charity and involved notable comic industry artists and writers including John Byrne, Frank Miller and the late Stan Lee.

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