Charity Focus
Live Preston & Fylde takes a look at ongoing fundraising projects that see thousands of pounds donated to good causes around the region
FOR THE LOVE OF ANIMALS
Easterleigh Animal Sanctuary is a registered charitable organisation operating in the Blackpool, Fleetwood and Fylde coast area since 1998.
Easterleigh provides an invaluable rescue and rehoming service for countless disadvantaged animals in the region. In the past 24 years, the charity has rehomed hundreds of animals from the local area ranging from cats, dogs, horses and birds to reptiles and ferrets.
What makes it unique is that if for any reason it is not possible to rehome an animal it operates a no-kill policy, so animals can have a home for life with the charity instead. Easterleigh Animal Sanctuary makes a significant contribution to the local community and its economy by providing employment and training opportunities for up to 30 people at any given time. It offers opportunities to volunteers to participate both in one of the four charity shops and at the sanctuary at Moorsfield, giving them comprehensive training and enhancing their skill sets in order to facilitate the work.
The staff and volunteers have continuous, in-house guidance focusing on providing customers at the shops with the best experience possible – they are also fully trained and accredited in first aid and health and safety. Within the senior management team are four highly experienced and motivated events coordinators who have previously managed volunteers at the Fylde Vintage and Farm Show in Kirkham, the Wrea Green Show and the Royal Lancashire Show to name a few.
Through its charity shops, the charity works very closely with a local domestic violence unit, allowing the throughput of clothes, toys, furniture and white goods to help victims, as well as a help the homeless campaign that endeavours to provide homeless people with free clothing and sleeping bags. In the last year, Easterleigh has partnered with High Furlong Primary School in Blackpool to offer therapeutic visits to the sanctuary for pupils with both physical and mental disabilities.
The main focus of the charity’s work remains with the animals themselves and the families who ultimately benefit from their rehoming. The team prides itself on maintaining the highest standards of accommodation and veterinary care for the animals, adopting a holistic approach that focuses on each individual animal’s behavioural, social, health and wellbeing needs. The demand for the service has been increasing for many years and the effects of the global pandemic have exacerbated this growing need with more and more animals requiring support and care. This, coupled with the increase of people experiencing mental health issues as a result of social isolation and a decrease in charitable donations, has led to an almost insurmountable pressure being levied on the charity.
If you would like to help, please support the shops across Blackpool and Thornton-Cleveleys, or to find out more go to the website: easterleigh.org.uk
If you want to highlight a charity, please email: alma.stewart@live-magazines.co.uk
