A charity that trains dogs to sniff cancer and diabetes is counting the cost after part of its roof was blown off by Storm Ciara.

Medical Detection Dogs this morning to a scene of devastation at the centre, which was opened less than a year ago by the Duchess of Cornwall. The damage was done to the roof above rooms where the charity trains puppies to get used to other dogs, items of furniture, wheelchairs, and not be distracted by food. A worker at the charity said it is a room that is integral to their early training.

A spokesman said: ‘Well storm Ciara certainly took some of her anger out on our centre over the weekend. Parts of the building are uninhabitable but as always everyone at the charity has come together to relocate some staff into different offices and make sure that it’s business as usual.

‘The main difference to anyone coming to visit is that the normal reception area has moved to the Medical Alert Assistance Dog reception.’

The dog training centre, near Milton Keynes, was battered by strong winds that affected large parts of the country, and gusts of up to 60 mph.

The charities chief executive and co-founder Claire Guest said that there was a team working on the roof this afternoon to try and make things safe so that staff could continue their important work.

In the meantime they have launched a fundraiser to help repair the damage done to the building.

Pictures from the scene show that the wind has lifted a large portion of the facility’s roof and it is blowing precariously over the back of the building.

Daisy’s story

Claire’s dog Daisy not only saved other people’s lives but also her own.

‘This work has affected my life in ways that I could never have imagined. It’s an incredible privilege working in this individual area where dogs through these fantastic things for people and saving lives.

‘I trained the first dogs and was working the dog, Daisy, who sadly passed away last year.

‘She lived with me and she was always by my side. She was a bladder and prostate cancer detection dog.

‘One day she seemed a bit wary of me almost like she was a bit upset about something I couldn’t really work out why. A few days later we go for a walk, I lift up the back of the car to let her out, and play with the others.

‘But she wouldn’t go. She kept staring at me and looking at me and staring and nudging at a specific area.

‘I said, “What’s the matter Daisy. Go and have a run around.”

‘But then when I examined the area she was nudging I felt a small lump.

‘To cut a long story short, I was actually diagnosed subsequently with early stage breast cancer.

‘I was told by my consultant that because it was a very deep seated cancer that had my attention not being drawn to it my prognosis could have been incredibly different.

‘So I had Daisy to thank for my saving my life, I may not have been here without her.’

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