Supporters urged to 'dig' deep for PDSA
Thousands of Plymouth's pets will soon benefit from a brand new pet hospital as building work began today (Thursday, 27 October) on leading vet charity PDSA's state of the art new centre.
PDSA vets and pet patients, along with John Bunker, Cowlin's Construction Director, made the 'first dig' to kick-start the exciting project, which will benefit pet owners in need. They were also joined by representatives from The Gwen Rees Will Trust for Animal Welfare*, after whom the new pet hospital will be named.
Steve Lockwood, PDSA PetAid hospital Manager, said: "PDSA does incredible work and is a vital service for local pet owners, especially in the current climate. I'm delighted we've made the first dig and I'm hoping this will urge local animal lovers to help us raise more funds.I cannot wait to see the new hospital up and running next year."
PDSA unveiled plans for the pet hospital in November 2010 and launched an appeal to raise the £2 million needed to build and equip it. So far the appeal has raised over £500,000 thanks to local businesses and supporters, but the charity still need to raise the remaining funds and are urging locals to support the appeal.
The new hospital, located on Plymouth International Medical and Technology Park close to Derriford Hospital, will replace the current premises on Durnford Street, and will give PDSA the capacity to treat the ever-increasing number of pets desperately needing its help.
PDSA's current PetAid hospital treats around 9,000 pets a year and has seen a massive 50% increase in demand over the past five years.With unemployment and cost of living on the rise, more and more pet owners are struggling to care for their sick and injured animals.PDSA desperately needs the new PetAid hospital to deal with this rise in pet patients.
Built by Cowlin Construction, a Balfour Beatty company, PDSA's new Plymouth PetAid hospital, The Gwen Rees Centre, will be the charity's most advanced and eco-friendly facility to date. It will contain consulting rooms, operating theatres and recovery wards and a critical care unit for infectious cases.
Jo Westerman, Regional Fundraising Manager for the Plymouth appeal, said: "It's a really exciting milestone, but we haven't reached our target yet. We're hoping people, organisations, schools and businesses with a passion for animals will dig deep for us by fundraising or donating whatever they can to help. With Plymouth residents now able to see the progress of the build, we hope even more people will come forward and support the appeal."
PDSA receives no government or lottery funding towards its PetAid services and relies entirely on public support. To find out more about supporting PDSA's Plymouth Pet Hospital Appeal, contact Jo Westerman, Regional Fundraising Manager, on 01752 229619 or email plymouthappeal@pdsa.org.uk.
* The Gwen Rees Will Trust for Animal Welfare, is a Devon-based animal welfare fund set up following the death of animal lover Gwen Rees in 2005.
27/10/2011
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