RSPCA in Lincolnshire: Lockdown recovery and a pet’s journey from rescue to forever home

Each month in 2021, The Lincolnite and publishers Stonebow Media will offer our support to a local charity, with free advertising and promotion across our website and social media channels, to help them raise funds and awareness.

During the pandemic lockdown countywide charities have suffered with fewer donations and not being able to host valuable events that help them raise more money throughout the year.

We’re asking our readers to submit nominations for their favourite charities over the next few months.

This month it is the turn of the RSPCA Lincolnshire Mid & Lincoln branch, who offer live-saving support for a variety of animals across the county, while also trying to find a safe forever home for them.

In 2020, the Lincoln branch rehomed 106 animals, and so far in 2021 the charity has rehomed 55, including cats, dogs, rabbits and guinea pigs.

There are ten members of staff at the branch, one full time administrator and nine part time members who work within different capacities at the organisation’s three charity shops.

Due to coronavirus lockdown, these charity shops were forced to close, meaning a substantial amount of income was lost and donations decreased.

This comes after an increase in demand for the branch, particularly from owners who weren’t prepared for a change in circumstances that came from the pandemic.

Amy Clarkson, branch chair for volunteering, fundraising and events, told The Lincolnite: “We are proactive in ensuring the right home is found for our animals in care – a family may be the perfect home for a cat, but may not be the right match for the cat they have first applied for. Ultimately our priority is ensuring the right home is found for the animal in question.”

Money raised from all the charity shops, fundraising events, donations and legacies goes straight into the branch, which will cover the costs of boarding and feeding animals in private establishments, as well as funding behaviourist and veterinary treatments.

Tilly was given the care, love and affection she needed by the charity, and now has found her forever home. | Photo: RSPCA Lincolnshire Mid & Lincoln

One particularly heartwarming example of their work comes from the rehoming of a cat called Tilly, who came to the rescue along with eight other cats as part of the affectionately named November Nine.

Tilly was very poorly when she arrived at the rescue, and the staff investigated what was wrong with her. After a month of vet visits and treatments of steroids and antibiotics she had stabilised, but something still wasn’t right.

It turns out that Tilly needed a diet of allergenic food for the rest of her life, as she was allergic to treats! It never knocked her off her stride, as all she wanted was love and affection.

The rescue found a match to give Tilly her forever home, but after not quite understanding the complexity of her needs, she was back at the rescue within a week.

After a patient wait, Tilly was finally matched with a loving owner who has taken her under his wing, and now Tilly has been settled into her new home.

The RSPCA’s Lincolnshire Mid and Lincoln branch will be fundraising on Saturday, October 2, with a huge Wonderland Masquerade Ball at the Doubletree by Hilton in the city.

Due to being a local branch, the charity is not eligible for government funding, and relies heavily on these kinds of events to continue running smoothly as a charity.

The volunteer team are looking for people to sponsor the 30 tables at the ball thus year, costing £50 per table. If you or your business are interested in sponsoring the event, or sending a donation to the charity, email [email protected].