You may have seen the announcement in the press recently that we’re finally moving to a new location.

Why Move?

The current animal centre, on Division Lane, Blackpool was opened in 1958 and is long overdue an upgrade.

You may well know that this area, known as 'The Moss', is very low lying and constantly shifting and, although the buildings have done very well over the years, the cracks are beginning to show.

For the Branch, the cost of building on the moss is prohibitively high.

Building regulations require piles to be sunk around 45' down and then build on them. To rebuild on this site would add a considerable sum to the cost of building elsewhere.

The existing site is also quite short of space and to provide better quality animal accommodation we would need a bigger site.

Move to where?

The Trustees therefore took the decision, a couple of years ago, to look for an alternative site and, through a lucky contact, found a site at Stalmine, which is presently being used as a boarding kennels. The site is plenty big enough to accommodate our existing animals plus a small expansion.

The basics are already on-site but there is a considerable amount of building work to be done. We need to construct a cattery, dog and cat isolation blocks, small animal building and reception building.

What about the animals?

The animal accommodation here at Longview can best be described as ‘tired’. The welfare of unwanted pets is of paramount importance to us and the rebuild will provide animal accommodation built using modern materials and to a higher specification than present.

What about the staff?

There will be a small increase in the number of animals that we will be able to cater for and, as such, we will still need experienced staff on the team. We hope that all of our existing staff will be moving across with us.

As the conditions for animals will improve, so will working conditions for the staff, which again, at present, are very poor.

What about the visitors?

Unlike the present centre, the new centre is on an existing bus route so will be more accessible to those without a car.

How will we pay for the move?

Obviously this is going to take a considerable amount of money and therefore a concerted fundraising effort is needed over the next 12 months. We, as ever, have a number of events planned throughout the coming year and a local pub, the Halfway House, have made us their charity of the year.

But we also need your help, however large or small. If you would like to help on the fundraising team, or make a donation, please get in touch.