The Making of Harry Potter and Guide Dogs partner to bring best in class accessibility to world-leading attraction

The home of filmmaking magic hopes to lead the way for UK visitor attractions and encourage the industry to become more inclusive.

To mark the start of the partnership, through the Name a Puppy scheme Warner Bros. Studio Tour London has sponsored three adorable guide dog puppies in training - a black Labrador, yellow Labrador and a golden retriever.

Named after the trio of leading characters in the iconic film series - Gryffindor house members Harry, Ron and Hermione - the Studio Tour will receive progress updates throughout each puppy’s development.

Studio Tour's contribution will provide vital support for the three puppies as they embark on their remarkable journey, covering essential expenses including training, food, and veterinary care. This support is crucial during this pivotal time in their development and journey as they aspire to become life changers.

With 250 people in the UK starting to lose their sight every day, the partnership will see the Studio Tour introduce various initiatives over the next 12 months and cement its commitment to developing inclusive policies for its team members and visitors.

The Studio Tour has welcomed guide and assistance dogs since they opened in 2012, with existing policies and guides in place to support those with sight loss or visual impairment, such as the availability of audio descriptive tours upon request. Through the partnership, further changes have been made to enhance the visitor experience.

Working closely with Guide Dogs Head of Children, Young People and Families, Kerry Kernan and Head of Accessibility Alex Pepper, the Studio Tour has made improvements to its spending area - a designated toilet space for guide dogs to use outside - within the attraction grounds.

Additionally, they are working towards introducing signage iPads which team members can offer to people with a visual impairment to hold over signs and descriptions in order to magnify them.

Guide Dogs will provide the Studio Tour’s team members with online training resources to teach them best practices when helping visitors with visual impairment. It will cover topics such as how to approach someone with sight loss, navigate narrow or busy spaces, steps and doorways, where to take a seat and the best areas for guide dogs to rest within the Studio Tour.

Team members will also learn how to safely guide someone with sight loss with confidence, skill and empathy and also the power of description, and how all of the senses can be used to bring the experience to life for people with sight loss.

The online training will be part of a wider programme rolling out which will include in-person training sessions for team members later in the year. There are also further exciting activities and changes planned for the next 12 months, all working towards improving accessibility for those with sight loss visiting the Studio Tour.

Geoff Spooner, SVP and General Manager at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London says: “We love welcoming everyone to the Studio Tour to step behind the scenes of their favourite Harry Potter moments and discover how they were brought to life through the magic of filmmaking.

"Our partnership with Guide Dogs marks our steadfast commitment to become a best practice example of accessibility for those with sight loss in UK attractions. We also hope to drive change throughout the industry that makes a real difference.”

Kerry Kernan, Head of Children, Young People and Families at Guide Dogs added: “We are delighted to be working with the Studio Tour team and hope our partnership will improve the experience and make a difference to visitors with visual impairment.

"Through our consultation, advice and training, we hope to encourage change across the UK attractions industry to become more accessible for people with sight loss, so blind and partially sighted visitors have more confidence to visit such attractions independently in the future.”

Warner Bros. Studio Tour London will now proudly display Guide Dogs’ official ‘Open Doors’ stickers on its website and at key entrance points to further emphasise its commitment to supporting those visitors with sight loss or visual impairment.

Guide Dogs launched their ‘Open Doors’ campaign in 2022, urging the public to sign a petition to strengthen the law around access refusals, and encouraging the download of the charity’s free app, which allows guide dog owners to easily and quickly report illegal access refusals.

For more information on the partnership and helpful information, please visit www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/guide-dogs