Animal Lovers Save Charity Over 10 Million Pounds
March 5, 2009 by admin
Filed under Animal Charities
Leading veterinary charity PDSA saved a total of £10.3 million last year thanks to its team of volunteers.
More than 4,800 animal lovers put in 1.25 million hours of unpaid work in 2008, allowing the charity to save the £10.3 million.
This money is enough to provide more than 6 million bandages for injured paws or to buy 300,000 bags of life-saving fluids to be used in one of the charity’s 47 PetAid hospitals.
Jan McLoughlin, PDSA director general, said: “It will cost around £50 million for PDSA to provide its free veterinary service to care for the sick and injured pets of people in need this year. It’s amazing to think that the generosity of people donating their time can make such a big difference to the lives of pets in need of vets in the UK.”
A culture of volunteering is prominent at PDSA, with the charity benefiting hours of unpaid work at its 178 shops, PetAid hospitals and fundraising groups across the UK.
PDSA’s dedicated National Volunteering Centre distributes information and co-ordinates the unpaid work programme.
As a result, PDSA was the first national charity to be awarded the Investing in Volunteers accolade due to its high standards of volunteer management.
Jan said: “PDSA couldn’t function without volunteers supporting staff in its shops, fundraising groups, offices and PetAid hospitals.
“Volunteers make a fantastic contribution – £10.3million in fact, and we hope that people continue to support PDSA and help increase this figure to care for more pets belonging to people in need.”
PDSA was founded in 1917 and cares for the sick and injured animals of people in need. Volunteer opportunities are available across the UK and are listed on the PDSA website, www.pdsa.org.uk/volunteering
Labrador crowned UK’s best pet slimmer by veterinary charity
A formerly porky Labrador has been crowned the UK’s best slimming pet by a veterinary charity after shedding 1st 6lbs (10kg).
Keano, from Plymouth, was so overweight at 7st 2lbs (46kg), he could not roll over on his back before joining the PDSA scheme.
But regular walks and proper dog food helped him find a new lease of life.
Five obese dogs and one cat completed PDSA’s 100 day diet and fitness programme, devised by vets.
The charity says canine obesity rose by 9% in the last year, which can cause potentially fatal conditions.
Looking Pet Insurance in the UK?
Dignity For Owners And Pets
Leading veterinary charity PDSA has announced the launch of an innovative scheme to help supporters beat the credit crunch and raise funds for sick and injured pets.
As the average cost of a funeral continues to rise, PDSA has joined forces with one of Britain’s largest providers of funeral services to offer a range of pre-paid funeral plans.
The joint initiative with Dignity Funeral Plans will cover policyholders’ funeral expenses with a donation being made to PDSA for every plan purchased, helping the charity to achieve its goal of funding treatment for pets in need of vets.
John Cole, PDSA Head of Direct Marketing, said, “We believe that this scheme will appeal to the many people across Britain who support the very vital work we do as a charity as well as providing them with peace of mind.
“It’s never easy to talk about planning a funeral, whether it’s your own or that of a loved one. However, dealing with arrangements in advance, including the cost, is a practical and sensible thing to do and can also bring comfort at a most sensitive time.”
Ensure your will is up to date
The start of a New Year is a great time to get your affairs in order, but making sure your will is up to date and still relevant is one priority that is often overlooked.
Leading veterinary charity PDSA has developed a plain English guide to amending an existing will, making it a less daunting task.
PDSA Head of Legacies, Tina Norton-Tuck, says: “Individual circumstances do change so it is always advisable to review your will from time to time to ensure it still reflects your wishes.
“However, updating your will needn’t mean re-writing it from scratch. A codicil is a document that can be easily added if, for example, you want to add a new instruction to leave a gift to a family member or charity of your choice.”
The PDSA Codicil pack outlines the procedures that need to be followed to ensure the change is legally sound and encloses a blank form to complete.
“Gifts that PDSA receives from wills are extremely important to the charity’s work of providing free veterinary treatment to the sick and injured pets of people in need, as two out of every three pets treated are funded in this way,” continues Tina. “PDSA’s services cost more than £48million each year, so we rely on the kind people who chose to remember PDSA in this way.”
For further details on making or amending a will or to download a codicil form, go to www.pdsa.org.uk/codicil or phone the Legacy Team on 0800 591248.
This year PDSA will provide more than 1.8 million free treatments to sick and injured pets. The charity receives no government or lottery funding for its PetAid services and relies entirely on the generosity of the public. For more information about PDSA, please visit www.pdsa.org.uk
Dodge the dog house this Valentine’s Day
If you’re looking to impress your partner this Valentine’s Day, rather than buying predictable flowers, unimaginative chocolates or, worse still, not bothering at all, why not surprise the love of your life with a PDSA well-vetted gift?
Well-vetted gifts really show you care and are the ‘purrr-fect’ virtual present for anyone who cares about animal welfare.
‘Yappy’ New Year. Make lending a ‘paw’ to PDSA your New Year’s Resolution
Leading veterinary charity PDSA is asking animal lovers to opt for an alternative New Year’s Resolution this year rather than the usual diet, detox or ditching bad habits. Why not consider doing something a little different by lending a ‘paw’ and volunteering?
Over 4,800 people support the charity for pets in need of vets, mainly at its 179 shops which raise vital funds to provide free veterinary treatment to the sick and injured pets of people in need. Other opportunities exist in fundraising groups, PDSA offices and a very small number of places are available at PDSA’s 47 PetAid hospitals.
PDSA Head of Volunteering, Janet Compton, says: “Most people vow to go to the gym, eat less or cut something out for their New Year’s pledge. But without a good reason to keep motivated, by the end of January, the majority of resolutions made go out the window.
“Volunteering for PDSA not only supports a worthwhile cause, but also helps people to learn new skills and make new friends. Whether you can spare a couple of hours a week or a few days, why not give volunteering a go for PDSA this January?”
PDSA volunteer opportunities are available across the UK and are listed on the PDSA website, www.pdsa.org.uk/volunteers. For more information about becoming a volunteer, please contact PDSA National Volunteering Centre on freephone 0800 854 194.
PDSA: All Pets Need For Christmas Is You
Leading veterinary charity PDSA has launched an urgent Christmas appeal which aims to raise nearly £1million to help treat thousands of sick and injured pets over the 12 days of Christmas.