Welcome back to Charity Corner. This is my new series where I will be using my blog as a platform to lend a voice to different charities and organisations of all sizes, backgrounds and causes. Today’s Charity Corner, I speak to Hayley Chow, the Communications Officer at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, a charity which cares for the animals taken in or abandoned.
What is the mission of Battersea Dogs & Cats Home?
Battersea Dogs & Cats Home aims to never turn away a dog or cat in need of help. We care for them until their owners or loving new homes can be found, no matter how long it takes. The Home is a champion for, and a supporter of, vulnerable dogs and cats, determined to create lasting changes for animals in our society. The rescue centre has a non-selective intake policy which means we never turn away a dog or cat no matter the breed, condition, age, temperament or health.
What’s the story behind the creation of your charity?
The charity was founded by Mary Tealby in 1860, making Battersea Dogs & Cats Home one of the UK’s oldest animal rescue centres. Since opening, the charity has cared for more than 3.1 million dogs and cats. Originally called The Temporary Home for Lost and Starving Dogs and based in Holloway, London, it moved to its now famous site in Battersea in 1871 and started taking in cats in 1883. We changed our name from Battersea Dogs Home to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home back in 2002.
What outcomes has Battersea seen through its work?
Battersea cares for over 8,000 dogs and cats every year (around 5,000 dogs and 3,000 cats). In 2015, Battersea reunited 542 animals with their owners and rehomed 5,681 (2,574 dogs and 3,107 cats).
In what way do donations to your charity benefit you?
Battersea receives no government funding towards the care of the dogs and cats and relies solely on the generosity and support of the public to care for the thousands of animals who arrive at the gates every year. It takes £13.8 million to care for the animals at Battersea each year. On average, 22 lost, abandoned and unloved animals come through the gates per day.
How can people help Battersea besides just giving money?
There are many other ways to help Battersea besides donations! There are various events across all three sites all year round – people can find out more about these events on our website. Volunteering is very important to Battersea and we’re always on the lookout for extra help! There are currently around 1,200 volunteers who help on a range of tasks including kennel and cattery duties, office admin roles, or in event roles.People can also help to fundraise by keeping Battersea in mind for any charity activities. Battersea holds its own sporting event too – the Muddy Dog Challenge. This year, Muddy Dog is taking place across various locations in the UK – it’s a really fun day out where people and their dogs can take part in an assault course-type race alongside their dogs! There are many other ways for people to get involved including donating items to our dogs and cats – check our website for more information.
What is the biggest milestone you have achieved since the launch of your charity?
Battersea has reached lots of milestones since its inception, there’s still a long way to go but we celebrated the Home’s 150th Anniversary in 2010 with the opening of the new Cattery in London which was opened by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall. Our new intake kennels were opened in 2015 by Queen Elizabeth II which was a great day for everyone involved. And, most recently The Duchess of Cornwall opened a new Veterinary Hospital and Centre of Excellence in 2016 by the Duchess of Cornwall.
What does Battersea hope to achieve in 12 months time?
There is another side to Battersea other than the everyday rehoming of dogs and cats, and that’s the campaigning we do to help animals outside of our gates. We campaign on serious animal welfare issues and have set ourselves ambitious targets to educate the public on responsible pet ownership. And this year we will be focusing on increasing the sentences handed to those who commit animal cruelty crimes in the UK. People can find out more about Battersea’s work on these campaigns on the website.
Where can people find more information on your charity?
Visit our website or follow us on Twitter or Facebook.
Jazz is a Disney, tea and pop culture enthusiast with a passion for blogging. Also a proud introvert.
I loved reading this! It’s such an amazing insight into a charity that does well for the country. It’s such a shame that these types of charities need to exist. I will be definitely looking out for your future Charity Corner.
Gemma | http://www.anoceanglimmer.wordpress.com
That was a great interview. Too often I see people just talking about a charity without really showing any interest, but Hayley really seems to be invested in the Battersea home, which is really nice to see.
I help out with a different cat sanctuary, though I really should get more involved with Battersea as it’s just up the road. Lovely to find out a bit more
This has to be the loveliest blog series I’ve ever discovered – though I’m banned from Battersea as my husband knows I’d want to adopt all of those beautiful little faces!
Aww, thank you so much! For a moment I thought you meant banned by them, haha! I’m trying to go to a local dog shelter to blog about my experience but I have to keep promising not to try and adopt because we already have two dalmatians that are a lot of work!
What a great post. Never heard of this charity until now. Thanks for sharing.
Now this post is a bit of me!
I currently foster for a charity, I foster kitties & I absolutely love it.
Thank you so much for raising awareness x
What an amazing charity. Battersea dogs home do such fantastic work xxx
wow I loved reading this and battersea in general Ive been around the facilities when we adopted our cat they do such an amazing job. I contribute to quite a lot of charities my focus for this year is the bumble bee trust as our bees are in such serious decline.
Back in 1982 my then boyfriend, now husband, and I made the decision to move in together. We rented a flat in south London that allowed pets. The first major we decision we made as a couple was to visit Battersea Dogs Home and adopt a dog. One of the best decisions we ever made which make this a charity very close to my heart and one I’m happy to support.