SOUTH SOMERSET NEWS: Dog rehoming centre is officially opened

THERE were celebrations all round this morning (Thursday, February 26, 2015) as the new £1m dog rehoming centre at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary in South Somerset was officially opened.

The charity already had £500,000 in reserves to spend on the new building project, but another £500,000 was needed and last March it launched its New Digs for Dogs project.

Nobody at Ferne expected, however, for the money to be raised within ten months.

Ferne’s chief executive, Elaine Hayes, said it had been an amazing project and thanked everybody for their support.

“There are far too many people and organisations to thank individually but they know who they are,” she told the Yeovil Press.

“We’ve had some wonderful large legacies left by people which have been fantastic, but we are also grateful to the grannies who give £5 donations or children who donate their pocket money.

“It’s been a fantastic community effort.”

PHOTO – TOP: Ferne Animal Sanctuary chief executive, Elaine Hayes, with Jack Russell terrier Milo.

The Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard and was founded in 1939 and was originally designed to look after the pets of servicemen and women who were going away to fight for their country in the Second World War.

The sanctuary’s old, dilapidated kennel facility - which was nearly 50 years old and could not withstand another winter - was demolished during March 2014. The hard work then began to raise the funds needed for a new building and the creation of a £1million New Digs for Dogs project.

Ferne’s head of external funding, Jenny Wheadon, a key member of the fundraising team, said it was purely a coincidence the New Digs for Dogs project had come during the sanctuary’s 75th anniversary.

“It’s been a magnificent effort to raise the money we’ve needed,” she said.

Ferne trustee, Bernie Steadman, said the fundraising would continue although it had reached its £500k target.

The ceremonial ribbon was cut by BBC Somerset presenter Matt Faulker, who declared the new facilities open.

PHOTO - ABOVE: BBC Somerset presenter Matt Faulker cuts the ceremonial ribbon along with Ferne Animal Sanctuary chief executive Elaine Hayes.