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Cash-strapped animal sanctuary launches £30k appeal

Ollie SamuelsBBC News, Lancashire
News imageWoodlands Animal Sanctuary A closeup of a ginger and black cat with big blue eyesWoodlands Animal Sanctuary
Woodlands Animal Sanctuary has been rehoming animals since 2005

A Lancashire animal rescue charity has launched an appeal to raise £30,000 amid a "perfect storm" of financial problems.

Woodlands Animal Sanctuary, based in Holmeswood, said the financial strain of accepting more pets was compounded by regular donors pausing or cancelling monthly contributions.

Founding trustee Vickie Blackburn said: "Families are struggling, and sadly that means more animals are being surrendered or simply left to fend for themselves."

The RSPCA said it fears increasing financial hardships "have led to the increase in people dumping their pets."

Ms Blackburn said the charity had been "turning away umpteen cats every single day that are still in desperate need of help".

She continued: "We've taken mums and kittens in alphabetical order this year, and we've already completed the alphabet once and we are back to J again – and that's just mums and kittens, that's not individual cats that aren't with kittens."

News imageWoodlands Animal Sanctuary A cat lies by a window, feeding 5 kittens who are all facing away from the camera. The cat is black with yellow eyes, and the kittens are a mixture of black, gold and brownWoodlands Animal Sanctuary
The charity has rehomed 88 cats since June, compared to 50 in a typical summer

She said the charity asks for a £95 donation for rehoming a cat, but they spend £400 in vet fees, food and rehabilitation costs per cat.

The sanctuary has so far raised more than £4,400, which Ms Blackburn described as "a great start to the campaign".

The charity has previously been saved by donations made the public, which enabled it to survive "a bleak few months".

News imageWoodlands Animal Sanctuary Two black and white kittens look at the camera, sat on a brown rug. The paws of a third kitten can be seen towards the top left of the image.Woodlands Animal Sanctuary
The charity said they had made "a great start" to the campaign.

Other animal sanctuaries in Lancashire have reported similar funding issues. One of them - Hugo's Small Animal Rescue - has stopped taking in new animals altogether.

The RSPCA said its national and branch-run animal rehoming centres are now full and operating waiting lists.

Last year, the charity handled 22,503 incidents of animals being abandoned, and staff have encouraged prospective owners to "really do their research" before taking on the responsibility of a new pet.

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