Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2010 | Page 44

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Island Life - October/November 2010

Fresh support gives RSPCA new
hope amid financial concerns
There has been encouraging support
from the Island’s RSPCA Centre since
it was revealed it had been hit by
severe financial difficulties that were
threatening its future.
The Centre, at Merstone Lane,
Godshill, costs £1,600 a day to run, and
relies totally on charitable donations
to stay in business. But recently it has
been suffering from rising costs and a
lack of funds, particularly from legacies.
However, following the reports that
five staff redundancies had to be made
at the Centre, and some animals have
been turned away because their stays
could not be funded, many Island
residents have offered their help and
support.
The Centre is run by a committee, and
chairman Ken Rivers said: “We have
had a positive response after it was
revealed we have financial problems.
One person in particular came in and
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wrote us a cheque for £1,200 and then
proceeded to bring in a transit van full
of food. Now he is interested in joining
the committee.
“That is just one of quite a few who
have come forward. Some have asked
for direct debit mandates, which is
very good news because that provides
regular income. Someone even knocked
on my door at home with a huge
sack of dog food. He said although it
wasn’t much he thought it might help.
Genuine concerns have been expressed
about the Centre’s future, and we
are delighted that people are coming
forward with offers of help.”
Naturally such help has to be ongoing,
and even with the latest backing there
have had to be further cutbacks within
the Centre. Mr Rivers said: “Trying to
budget with the finances available is
the biggest problem we are facing. It is
worrying to try to work out what you

can spend in any given day.”
The Centre has facilities to house 52
dogs and 100 cats, as well as other
domestic and wild animals, and even
exotic species. But on average a dog’s
stay at the Centre runs up a bill of
£500. “Every dog is vetted, given a
chip, and then looked after and fed.
We keep them for a minimum of two
weeks, but we have some dogs in that
need more care than others, and in that
instance vets’ bills alone can easily run
up to £500,” explained Mr Rivers.
As a result the dog and cat admissions
have had to be reduced. One kennel
block has been closed meaning the loss
of 12 dogs’ places, and one cattery
has also been closed, reducing the cat
intake by an alarming 40 per cent.
A meeting has been held recently in
an effort to increase the turnover at the
RSPCA’s shops across the Island. They
currently have eight outlets, with a

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