The Friends of the RSPCA Leybourne Animal Centre
(Registered Charity Number 1049828)
ABOUT THE FRIENDS
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 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.
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 work tirelessly to raise the additional funds to fill this ever increasing divide.
In addition, the Friends have provided many other much needed facilities for the Centre. In the year 2000, a Dog Compound costing £20,000 was erected and supplied with agility equipment so that the dogs could take free exercise in a grassed area. In 2008 the Friends contributed £70,000 which, together with a generous legacy from Mrs.Claire Nelzina Warrington, enabled RSPCA Headquarters to build a new brick Small Animal House to replace the overcrowded wooden facility the Centre had before. You can read more about the Friends’ Projects in the section below.
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 catch 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 Sponsored Walks, Christmas Fayres and our most prestigious event our annual June Fun Day hosts a large Dog Show with a class that selects a dog to go forward to the RSPCA Dog of the Year competition. For Members, we have an annual Members Open Day where you can come along and have a “Behind the Scenes” tour of the Centre and an Annual Ball held at a local venue. If you look at our Future Events page, you will see dates for your Diary so you can come along and support us, or sponsor someone, thereby helping the animals.
In the short time that we have existed we have already completed many Projects:
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.
We have built two
Flight Aviaries to enhance the lives of the birds
Our last major
Project has been the provision of a new Small Animal House. If an animal that
is not a cat or dog is taken into the Centre there is every chanced 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, the old wooden
small animal house had only 10 rabbit runs and two small rooms to accommodate
all the different species that need help and was simply “outgrown”. We were
very fortunate to receive a generous legacy from Mrs Claire Nelzina Warrington,
but the Friends had to raise a further £70,000 to enable the building of the new
Small Animal House to go ahead. Building was completed in 2008.
As the Centre is now 12 years old, and sadly the needs of animals are growing all the time, not only do existing facilities need to be replaced or updated but new things are required as well.
You can help us realise our dreams! We need to continue to fund-raise if future Projects are to become a reality. Please help us by
Becoming a Friend
and showing the animals you care
Sending in any
fundraising ideas you have
Supporting our
events
Collecting your
loose change
Bringing your used
printer cartridges to the Centre 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,
usually by the Centre Manager
You will receive
information about the various FUNdraising 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 of course 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.
All this for just £10 a year – with every penny of that helping the animals!
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 friendsofrspca@btinternet.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 |
| Peter Lewis | Procurement Co-ordinator |
| Brenda Franklin | Catering Co-ordinator |
| Rosemary Hales | Quiz Co-ordinator |
Representatives appointed by the RSPCA Regional Board
| Val Cooper | Tonbridge Wells and Maidstone Branch |
| Viv Climpson, Membership Secretary/Assistant Treasurer | Medway West Branch |
RSPCA Staff
| Christine Dooley | Leybourne Animal Centre Manager |
| Liz Wood | Deputy Manager |
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