PUTTING his best foot forward and placing his trust in man’s best friend, the MP for North Cornwall took up a challenge to walk around Launceston — blindfolded.

Scott Mann accepted the challenge, set by the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, to walk the streets of Launceston blindfolded, placing all his trust in guide dog Isaac.

Conservative Mr Mann has taken a keen interest in the work the guide dogs do and the service they provide. He wanted to find out more about how the blind or partially sighted can benefit from using a guide dog as a mobility aid.

He met guide dog mobility instructor Carri Ward in Launceston Square and along with Isaac she let Mr Mann experience the help a guide dog can offer to someone who is partially sighted or blind.

With his blindfold securely in place, Mr Mann set off, placing his trust in Isaac, to venture around the streets of Launceston.

Mr Mann said: “I am pleased to have had this experience. I am full of admiration for blind people who rely on their dogs to enable them to get around and to undertake journeys which sighted people take so much for granted.

“When I was not able to see, I found that I became very aware of the sounds and smells around me. The traffic noise seemed much louder.

“Even though I was walking in an area of Launceston I am very familiar with, it was difficult to work out exactly where I was.

“I was particularly aware of the danger that uneven pavements, advertising boards and other obstructions can cause.”

Shoppers in the town were fascinated by the sight of their MP stepping out confidently with the trusty guide dog at his side.

Guide dogs like Isaac are trained to give people with little or no sight the ability and confidence to be independently mobile, offering them a chance to get out and about while remaining safe and cared for.

Mr Mann was able to experience the help these dogs provide as Isaac guided him round obstacles, stopped him at kerb edges and generally kept him safe.

Alun Gwernan-Jones, head of Mobility Services for Guide Dogs South West region, said: ”I am most grateful to Mr Mann for agreeing to take up our challenge.

“Until you actually experience walking with a guide dog it is difficult to imagine the freedom that it gives to a blind person.

“I would like to thank him for supporting the work of Guide Dogs and helping us with our various campaigns.”

The most recent of the Guide Dogs charity campaigns has been to try and get the law changed in order to make it easier for the police and local authorities across the country to take action against drivers parking on pavements.

For a blind or partially sighted person, a car parked on the pavement poses an unnecessary obstacle that makes getting around town increasingly more difficult for them.

Mr Mann has recently been supporting a private members bill on this subject, introduced by the Conservative MP for North Devon, Simon Hoare.

Although the bill has now been withdrawn, the government has agreed to fund research into the issue of pavement parking.

A round table meeting will be convened with the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, and other organisations working with disabled people, to discuss the matter.

This is a positive step forward for Guide Dogs and the charity is grateful to MPs like Mr Mann for the help and support they provide in the matter of the pavement parking campaign.