The Friends of the RSPCA Leybourne Animal Centre
(Registered Charity Number 1049828)
ABOUT THE FRIENDS
The RSPCA Leybourne Animal Centre near West Malling in Kent was opened in 1996 and was built with the support of the national RSPCA and local branches. The Friends of the RSPCA Leybourne Animal Centre, a Registered Charity, was set up even before the building was finished – and it has not looked back since.
The Friends of the RSPCA Leybourne Animal Centre work tirelessly to raise the additional funds to fill this ever increasing divide. The medical condition of many animals coming into the Centre is extremely poor. Without the extra help to pay for large veterinary bills, many animals would not stand a chance of being nursed back to health enabling them to be found new homes. The Friends have provided other much needed facilities for the Centre. In the year 2000, our Dog Compound costing £20,000 was erected and supplied with agility equipment so the dogs could take free exercise in a grassed area.
The Friends are a group of dedicated volunteers who help to raise funds to improve the lives of the animals at the Centre. Work done is co-ordinated by the Friends Executive Committee whose members are elected or appointed on an annual basis, with the officers being elected from the membership of that Committee.
Executive Committee meetings take place regularly to discuss and plan future fundraising activities.
HOW DO THE FRIENDS HELP THE ANIMALS AT LEYBOURNE?
The Friends are able to help the many needy animals that come into the care of the Centre by Fundraising. Money raised can be used in many different ways from providing raw hide chews to keep the dogs happy, to cat scratching posts to keep the cats busy, to large secure grassed exercise areas to give the rabbits a chance to stretch their legs. It can fund expensive veterinary treatment or pay for new facilities at the Centre.
The most important part of the word “fundraising” is the first three letters – FUN! The Friends of the RSPCA Leybourne Animal Centre would not exist if they were not enjoying the way in which they can work to help the animals. We have regular jumble sales, plant sales, sponsored walks, beauty or ‘indulgence’ evenings and of course our annual events like our Christmas Fayre and summer Fun Day and we are very grateful to everyone who comes along to support us. We have also had BBQ’s, quiz evenings and line dancing for our Members. If you look at our “Events” page, there are many dates for you to put in your Diary where you can come along to support us and thereby help us to help the animals.
You will find us at many local events such as Loose Antique & Collectors Fair, several schools Christmas Fayres or Summer Fetes, Teston Church Fayre, Snodland Carnival, British Legion Fayre, and many others where we run a stall selling RSPCA logo goods. During the month of May we are at Asda, Kings Hill for a day and also at Tesco, Lunsford Park for a week collecting food and donations on behalf of the animals.
In the short time that we have existed we have already completed many Projects, an example of which is shown on the Projects Page. The rabbits now have an Ark so that they can enjoy playing and eating fresh grass. We have a ‘Wishing Well’ where members of the public are invited to throw in a coin as they make a wish knowing that a needy animal will be helped. In the year 2000 we completed a large grassed dog compound and furnished it with activity toys so that the dogs can play and exercise off the lead which provides some ‘Fun’ in their lives, improves their confidence and enables them to socialise.
A new Flight Aviary is to be erected to enhance the lives of the birds, and our next major Project is the provision of a new Small Animal House. If an animal is taken into the Centre but is not a cat or a dog there is every chance that it will be put in the Small Animal House. This includes the wild life casualties that are taken to the Centre where they are stabilised until they can be transferred to specialists for further treatment, rehabilitation and release. With an average intake of about 1700 miscellaneous animals and birds, and with only 10 rabbit runs and two small rooms to accommodate all the different species that need help, the current Small Animal House has simply been ‘outgrown’.
It is estimated that to provide a new brick built ‘Small Animal House’ with good ventilation, heating and drainage to replace the existing small wooden building that is so hard to maintain, is going to cost around £150,000!
You can help up realise our dream! We need to start fund raising NOW if this Project is ever to become a reality. Please help us by
sending in any fundraising ideas you have
supporting our events
becoming a Friend
collecting your loose change
giving us your used printer cartridges for recycling.
Every single penny really does count!
WHAT DOES IT COST AND MEAN TO BE ‘A FRIEND’?
The annual subscription is only £10, just £6 for pensioners and those under 18 years of age, but this money is important to us and enables us to carefully plan our Projects for the benefit of the animals.
As a Friend
Your name can be added to our ever-increasing list of members who truly care
about the welfare of animals here at the RSPCA Leybourne Animal Centre
You will be invited to our Annual General Meeting to meet the Committee
and enjoy a Presentation by the Centre Manager
You will receive information about the various FUNdraiding events we
organise
You will also get an Invitation to the annual Members Open Day where you
can have a ‘”Behind the Scenes” tour of the Centre
And our regular newsletter “The Howler” will be sent directly to you
keeping you up to date with news of the Centre and some of the animals the
Friends have been able to help
You can download a Membership Application Form below – do it now! and show the animals that you care.
In addition, as of 6th April 2000, your membership subscription became eligible for Gift Aid, which means we can claim tax back on your donation and receive an extra 28p for each £1.from the Inland Revenue, without it costing you a penny! The only requirement is that you must be a UK tax payer and should you cease to be a tax payer, you must notify us of your change of tax status. You are entitled to cancel your Declaration at any time.
GO ON! Spoil the Tax Collector’s Day!
HOW DO I BECOME A MEMBER?
By filling in one of the Membership Application Forms – you can download one here, complete it and post it to us and we will soon be in touch to welcome you and to thank you for being ‘A Friend’.
DOWNLOAD A MEMBERSHIP FORM, INCLUDING GIFT AID
HOW CAN I HELP THE FRIENDS?
Apart from becoming a Member and supporting our fundraising events, we would be most appreciative of any Donations towards the work that we do. This can be sent to us at our postal address:
The Friends of the RSPCA Leybourne Animal Centre
RSPCA Leybourne Animal Centre
199 Castle Way
Leybourne
WEST MALLING, Kent
ME19 5HW
There is also plenty of work to do behind the scenes to ensure the smooth running of our events, so we could do with help with setting up stalls, making a few cakes to sell at the events, growing or potting up plants to sell at our plant sale, running stalls, collecting things from the Centre and taking them to the various Event venues, pricing goods to sell (especially if you have any areas of expertise like antiques, valuable books etc). You can also assist us with the publicity of the fundraising events we hold by displaying or delivering posters, telling your friends about them. The list is endless. You can contact us on our email address at info@rspcaleybourne.com
WHO ARE THE MEMBERS OF THE CURRENT EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE?
The Current Executive Committee, elected at the last AGM, is as follows:
| Elaine Beal | Chairman |
| Viv Fox | Vice Chairman / Health and Safety Co-ordinator |
| Julie Pring | Treasurer |
| Christine Tate | General Secretary |
| Pauline Horne | Minutes Secretary |
| Pauline Wright | Committee Member |
| Peter Lewis | Procurement Co-ordinator |
| Brenda Franklin | Catering Co-ordinator |
| Rosemary Hales | Quiz Co-ordinator |
Representatives appointed by the RSPCA Regional Board
| Val Cooper, Plaque Co-ordinator | Tonbridge Wells and Maidstone Branch |
| Viv Climpson, Membership Secretary/Assistant Treasurer | Medway West Branch |
RSPCA Staff
| Christine Dooley | Leybourne Animal Centre Manager |
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