These adorable rabbits at the National Animal Welfare Trust are looking for ‘somebunny’ to love. Hello, my name’s Dandelion and I’m a beautiful three-year-old girl. A Continental Giant crossbreed, I’ll need a large enclosure and lots of space to exercise. I can live indoors or outdoors with a large, neutered male of a similar size and age for company. I might be shy when we first meet but, once I know you, I enjoy being stroked. Like most rabbits, I don’t like being picked up but if you play with me on my level, I’m very sociable. I love my food and I’m a clever girl, so I eat all my meals from food puzzles. My favourite thing is sitting in my cardboard box.
Hello, my name’s Sugar and I am a beautiful three-year-old girl. I live with my sister Olive who’s the same age. We came to the National Animal Welfare Trust on December 2 when our owner had a change in circumstances. I can be shy and need a gentle, confident owner to teach me that being cuddled is actually quite pleasant. Like most rabbits, I don’t like being picked up as being so high off the ground makes us scared. But if you play with me on my level, I’m really very sociable and enjoy attention once I get to know you.
Dear Dean Russell, My name is Melanie Silver and I live in your constituency. As my MP, I am writing to you out of concern for funding support for animal welfare charities, which specialise in rescuing and rehoming stray, unwanted and neglected pets. The Government appears to have misunderstood the nature of the work and the funding model for these charities, which provide a vital service to the communities within which they operate. In normal times, these organisations rely solely on donations from the public and receive no government funding whatsoever. However, the coronavirus pandemic has left many of these small locally-based charities, such as Watford’s National Animal Welfare Trust (NAWT), facing a drastic shortfall in funding due to the forced closure of their charity shops and curtailment of fundraising activities at their rehoming centres. To be blunt, these organisations are facing a challenging financial future, which could result in permanent closure.
Socks the dog came to the National Animal Welfare Trust as a stray, frightened and cowering, unsure of his new surroundings and people The Watford branch of an animal rescue and rehoming charity has been hit hard by the pandemic and is seeking help to pay for a much-needed new kennel block. The National Animal Welfare Trust (NAWT) centre lost at least £40,000 last year due to the Covid-19 crisis and was forced to close to the public in the first lockdown. It also had to cancel the fundraising events it relies on to cover its running costs in 2020. Despite its forced closure, the NAWT is ineligible for any government or local authority support. And 11 months on, it is still not permitted to reopen. The Watford community has been very supportive but the NAWT has had to dig into its reserves to keep going.