What are some of the most memorable animals you ’ ve encountered ?
We had a large mastiff dog called Dhino come into Battersea Brands Hatch , who had lived all of his short life in a small back garden , and when he arrived he was quite stressed at first . But he quickly seemed to be very grateful for everything – the regular routine , regular handling and the care he received . He just loved everybody and was always so happy . He settled well in his warm kennel and when he found his new home it was wonderful to see pictures of him curled up on a cosy sofa with his new owner by his side .
We also took in a stray cat called Tiger , who we subsequently found had been shot at close range with an air gun – he still had pellets embedded into his skull . To think how much pain and fear this cat must have gone through before arriving into Battersea , and yet he was still very trusting of people , seek out strokes and want to play chase . This brave and loveable cat didn ’ t take long to find a home of his own though .
How important are volunteers to Battersea , and what sort of things do they do ? How can our readers get involved ?
There are so many other ways to help Battersea besides donations ! Battersea has over 1,000 volunteers – last year they dedicated over 83,000 hours to Battersea .
Volunteering is an important part of Battersea and we ’ re always on the lookout for new recruits ! We need a range of people to help us with different tasks including kennel and cattery duties , office admin roles , off-site event roles as well as foster carers .
What does the future hold ?
There is another side to Battersea other than the everyday care and re-homing of our dogs and cats . We do a lot of campaigning to help the animals outside of our gates . We campaign on serious animal welfare issues and have set ourselves on educating the public on responsible pet ownership . This year , Battersea is focusing on increasing the sentences handed to those who commit animal cruelty crimes in the UK . People can find out more on our website www . battersea . org . uk .
CANTERBURY FESTIVAL
KENT ’ S INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL
14 OCT - 4 NOV 2017
Over 200 events including Newton Faulkner Imelda May Tom Kerridge Ballet Black Ruby Turner Tenebrae Tasmin Little Rich Hall Mary Black
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Further details visit : canterburyfestival . co . uk
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