Help your charity to help Animals in Need

So, you want to help your local animal charity, but don’t know how to?

Pulse’s Sammy Jones checked in with Animals in Need Manager Annie Marriott and discovered plenty of ways you can support their wonderful work – making it easy for all of us to do something…

Regular readers will know only too well the fantastic work carried out by Animals in Need’s team of staff and volunteers, whose boundless energy and passion saves literally thousands of lives, year in, year out.

But the truth of the matter is that it’s really not all about fun play time with kittens and long walks with pooches. If only.

It’s a gruelling, emotionally challenging, and never-ending workload with a constant influx of injured, unwanted and abused animals to care for – and they take a heck of a lot of looking after, which costs a pretty penny.

There are lots of ways you can support the charity, and in turn you might be clearing the clutter from your abode. It’s a win-win!
Their Northampton-based charity shop is another valuable source of income, and if you are spring cleaning (at any time of the year!), you should fill the boot of your car and drop in to the store, located on Lea Road.

“Clothes are the biggest seller for us, and good condition clothing is always welcomed. Books, music, bric-a-brac, small items of furniture… you name it, we can sell it, so please do think of us if you are having a tidy out,” Annie urged, “The only things we can’t sell are electrical products, for safety reasons.

“We also have a dedicated eBay page which we use for certain items.”
All these cash swelling avenues take time and volunteers to make them a success, of course.

“Absolutely,” Annie nodded, “We are so grateful for our small army of volunteers who support us – without them, we simply couldn’t exist. If you can spare at least four hours a week, and are dedicated, please get in touch. Whether it’s mucking out the farm animals, walking the dogs waiting for their forever homes, or assisting with the endless stream of wildlife casualties we receive, we will certainly put you to work!” she smiled, “Contrary to popular belief, it’s not glamorous work, but you will sleep well after a shift here,” she giggled, “Best of all though, you return home knowing that you have made a real difference to the lives of those in need, and to us staff.”

“We have recently branched out into plant stalls too – people love a sweet little succulent, or a spider plant, or a perennial, and they sell like hot cakes, which are another favourite at our fetes!

“If you are green fingered and want to donate some well rooted plants, or simply sell them on our behalf, that would be fantastic.”
The charity is always in need of blankets, towels and sheets for the animals too – with so many creatures to keep warm and snuggly, they go through bedding at an unbelievable rate, and their two huge industrial washing machines are permanently loaded and in action.

“We try not to put the dryers on though as the bills are extortionate – as a consequence, part of the site permanently resembles a scene from My Beautiful Launderette!

“We also have three volunteers who take the washing home to dry it. If you imagine somewhere in the region of 70 dogs and 73 cats and kittens all having bedding that needs to be changed – not to mention the wildlife casualties…it’s massive.”
Can you ever have too much bedding?

“We can take as much as you can offer!” Annie said, “I recently collected all of the bedding and sheets from the Doubletree Hotel in Milton Keynes when they had a bedding changeover. We had a van full and we were so grateful to them.

“The only thing we can’t take is anything with stuffing – so no duvets, or pillows, and we can’t take electric blankets either. Anything else is welcome.”
And with so many animals at the centre, the quantities of food consumed are insane too.

“Dog and cat food, rabbit and guinea pig pellets and hay are all warmly received,” Annie said, “We are lucky that we have some regular donors, but no matter how much food we have, it’s honestly never enough.

“We do have an Amazon wish list page, so if anyone would like to support us with minimum fuss, that’s probably the easiest way – just the click of a mouse will make a difference to us.

“One thing many people don’t think of is toys – dogs and cats need stimulation, they need entertainment and they need something to occupy their time. Having toys is a brilliant way of keeping them engaged, and can be invaluable with some particularly traumatised animals who find themselves in our care – sharing play time helps them to start trusting in us, which is a massive thing when some of the little souls have been so let down by people in the past.

“Perhaps your pooches and puddies are spoiled and have too many toys. If they have a surplus and would like to donate to their fellow furries, good condition second hand toys are appreciated.

“We are so grateful to everyone who takes the time to give to us, but at the same time, it is scary that we are so reliant on people’s goodwill,” Annie said, shaking her head, “Every time we are met with adversity, somehow we up the ante and swerve the problems, but it is a non-stop battle.

“The fact that people choose to donate here, when there are so many deserving causes out there is never lost on us,” Annie added, “I’d like to thank Pulse readers for their constant support and interest in the charity.

“Every time we rescue an animal from suffering, or re-home or release a rehabilitated animal, it has always benefited from the generosity of volunteers and supporters. That is so precious. Thank you all for sticking with us during these difficult days.”

Do you have a cupboard of unwanted goodies, or a drawer full of bits and bobs that never get used?

Are there unwanted toiletry sets lurking in the corner? Or have your children got more toys than they can cope with?

Animals in Need can make use of any good quality items: “We get through so many Tombola prizes, it’s insane!” Annie told us, “We are always on the lookout for items – from sweets to teddies and everything in between. People love the surprise of a Tombola, and the monies generated really help us to keep the wolf from the door,” Annie said, “Although if we were presented with a wolf in need, of course we would help it!” she laughed.