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It may not be the image of the Royal Wedding you had in your mind, but through the eyes of local artist Yvette Harding (a member of staff at Acorn House Veterinary Clinic, Linnet Way, Brickhill, Bedford) the marriage between Prince William and Kate Middleton is forever immortalised in wool!
Yvettes' skills with the knitting needle are legendary in Bedfordshire and it seemed only natural to create such a masterpiece when her Practice Manager, Gaynor Dudly showed her an article in the National newspaper.
Over a period of six weeks, without the need for any patterns, working 3
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hours per day and just using offcuts of wool she had lying around, this unique and astonishing depiction of the Royal Wedding came to life.
Such an amazing and time consuming piece of work such as this would cost a fortune to buy and it was suggested that the item may best be sold via auction. However, we feel that it is fairer to offer you a chance to own this piece of work by simply buying a raffle ticket - each cost £1 and you can buy as many as you like either by visiting the Practice direct or using the RSPCA online donation link below. Please ensure your contact details are clearly indicated on the entry/donation.
The Acorn House Veterinary Practice
When devastating floods struck the small Cumbrian village of Cockermouth, Jane Folly, one of our local Animal Welfare Officers, was amongst the first on the scene.
Boat trained, both she and her colleagues worked alongside the emergency services, effecting a number of rescues and offering families and their animals help and assistance.
Over 200 sheep, 6 cattle, eight cats, a collapsed dog and a horse were rescued
In recognition of her contribution, Jane and the rest of her colleagues that make up the East Region Team, were awarded the Disaster Medal by the RSPCA.
Jane Folly and colleague Chris Shaw in Cockermouth, Cumbria
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Jane Folly (third from the left) collecting her award from the RSPCA
Working for the RSPCA Bedfordshire North Branch allows us to see exactly where your donations and legacies should be channelled to achieve the greatest possible effect. With this in mind, John and Janet Day visited the RSPCA Animal Centre at Block Fen Cambridgeshire on 10th September to present a cheque for £14,000 – a sum gifted to the Branch in the form of a legacy from a long term supporter that will literally benefit thousands of animals for years to come.
Jackie Williams, the Centre manager said, "We are thrilled to receive this donation which is a major part of the money we are hoping to raise to develop the Centre's reception area. The present area becomes very crowded at times with prospective new owners and members of the public who call in to purchase items from our shop. We are planning to add a conservatory to the exisiting reception area to provide a more relaxed environment for those who are looking to rehome one of our animals."
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From left;Beds North Branch:- Janet Day Auxilliary, John Day Honorary Treasurer.RSPCA Block Fen:- Emma Smith - Reception Supervisor, Tammy Jarvis - Vet Nurse, Jackie Williams - Centre Manager and last but not least, Max Day - Spaniel (and excellent collector for the Branch!)
The Branch committee are delighted that the legacy will be used in such a positive way to help local animals find new homes. Block Fen is without doubt is a superb rehoming centre that the RSPCA can be proud of.
Cats are crippling the resuce centres with RSPCA animal shelters being inundated with cats and kittens in desperate need of new homes.
Many of the charity’s rehoming centres are completely full of felines who have been recklessly dumped by their owners or rescued by RSPCA inspectors. Although this time of year is the peak birthing season for cats, lots of centres are looking after more cats and kittens than they ever have before.
Since the beginning of 2009, an average of 21 cats have been taken in every single day at our 16 regional centres* with other independent branches and shelters suffering a similar plight. Many of the animals are being kept in private boarding or in foster homes as the RSPCA centres are simply too full. New owners are desperately needed to provide permanent, loving homes for them
Christine Kerridge said: “So many people are letting their cats get pregnant without giving any thought to how they will find good homes for the kittens. We are left to pick up the pieces. We really need new owners to come forward to give a second chance to the many delightful cats who are without a permanent home through no fault of their own.”
The RSPCA is urging people considering getting a cat or a kitten to avoid answering ads in newspapers or visiting pet shops, but to take home a rescue animal which desperately needs a new home.
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Kitten looking for a home...
The RSPCA recommends that cats should be neutered to prevent unwanted pregnancies from occurring.
If you do rehome a young cat or kitten from the RSPCA, the usual adoption fee includes the neutering operation, microchipping, a full veterinary check, worming and flea treatment and any vaccinations they may require.
The rehoming process aims to make sure the cat and owner are suitably matched, which includes a home check and follow-up visits in some cases.
For more on this story (and to have a go) visit;-
www.rspca-bedfordshirenorth.org.uk
Skydiving is not for the faint hearted, then again, Kerri Bicknell is no ordinary young lady. . .
Kerri has always been passionate about the welfare of animals and in October decided to make a difference by signing up with Skyline to do her first Tandem Sky Dive for the RSPCA Bedfordshire North Branch, raising an amazing £970 in the process!
Kerri said “I chose to do the jump in June last year to coincide with better weather”. However, as the months passed, the jump took on greater significance following the loss of her dear cat, Jasper. “My world literally fell apart and I didn't know what I was going to do without my best friend”
With her RSPCA T-Shirt and ‘In Memory of Jasper’ emblazoned on the back of it, Kerri stepped out of the plane on the 5th June 2010.
“I was in the air for about six minutes. The sights were amazing and it was so peaceful, you must try it!“ said Kerri.
Kerri at Sibson Airfield
For more on this story (and to have a go) visit;-
www.rspca-bedfordshirenorth.org.uk
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New figures released today show that the RSPCA is now receiving a call about an abandoned dog every hour.
Between January and April 2010, the Society was inundated with more than 3,500 calls from members of the public about dumped dogs. This relates to a total of 4,966 dogs which were abandoned.
Throughout 2009, in the grip of the credit crunch, the charity took 11,574 calls about abandoned dogs and the RSPCA is worried that this year could hold a similar fate for even more animals.
The RSPCA believes that the introduction of a dog licence could tackle a wide range of dog welfare problems which stem from the lack of traceable ownership.
“But we believe that a dog licencing scheme could provide a solution to this ongoing problem and help make sure that people who do dump their dogs don’t get away with this criminal offence.”
The charity hopes that an effective licencing scheme providing traceable ownership could help to track down the people who are committing a criminal offence by abandoning an animal.*
The TNS poll commissioned by the RSPCA asked 1,017 adults between the ages of 16-64 in Great Britain in February 2010.
The poll asked 334 dog owners and 683 non-dog owners for their views.
*76% of the total people asked and 66% of dog owners asked are in favour of the reintroduction of a dog licence.
A total of 771 people asked were in favour of a licence, 145 people asked were against it and 101 people asked did not know.
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