Algernon Trust Opens Charity Shop in Daventry

Algernon Trust Opens Shop in Daventry

The Algernon Trust is a local Animal Sanctuary, Re-homing Centre & Wildlife Rescue, based in Whittlebury near Towcester. The Trust has recently opened a shop in Daventry, not only to raise funds desperately needed to help look after the animals in their care, but also to promote awareness of the Trust and in doing so re-home more animals and attract more volunteers which are urgently needed.

The trustees are very excited to announce that The Algernon Trust Charity Shop at 25 sheaf Street opened on friday 14th February, and already there has been a lot of interest and customers. Opening hours are currently: Tuesday - Saturday 10 - 4pm. We are hoping to open 6 days a week Monday to Saturday, but before we can we urgently need more volunteers to help in the shop. 

Please consider donating any good quality clean items that are no longer needed.  We can accept all items including clothes as long as they are of good saleable quality. If you have furniture or electrical items please email Sarah (see below) first as we are only taking what would be useful to us, we cannot currently sell them in the shop unless they have been safety tested.

In response to the amount of donations people have kindly given, we are desperate for storage, mainly bookcases or tall storage units with shelves, with or without doors please!

There are people in the following towns where items can be dropped to be delivered to the shop – please do let us know if you are able to offer a collection point too!

Milton Keynes - Mark French  

Northampton - Caz Carr

Banbury - Mel Loveridge (Pampered Paws) 

Anyone interested in volunteering at the shop should contact Sarah for an application, this can also be downloaded from our facebook group or email: sarah.barrett@algernontrust.org.uk (Please note we do not have any paid positions available at this time)

The shop not only sells goods to raise funds, but also has an area dedicated to promoting the animals currently in need of fostering or needing new homes. Interested fosterers or adopters can come in and take away details of animals, or we can make arrangement for them to meet the cats and dogs. We hope this will help find more homes for the increasing number of animals coming into our care, and in doing so help us to  rescue more animals.

We also sell Algernon Trust  merchandise which helps to promote the Trust. 

Directions: 

To get to the shop from the south take the London Road into the town centre and when you get to the mini roundabout where the pedestrian street starts, turn left onto Oxford St and then take the next right and park in the car park. Take any of the alleys through to the Sheaf Street. If you have loads of stuff and need to be nearer, the other option is to go over the mini roundabout and then take the first left into Foundry Place. Follow it right to the end - it curves right round. Then when you think you can't go any further park wherever you can and there is a small alley leading straight through to Sheaf Street, turn right and our shop is the one after the flower shop.Beware there is no official parking here, just loading and residents.

If you are coming down the A45 from Northampton, come into Daventry and turn right at the mini roundabout, and take the same directions turning left into Foundry Place. 

You can follow the shop on Facebook www.facebook.com/Algernontrustshopdaventry

Algernon Trust

The Animal Sanctuary was set up over twenty years ago when the founder Jane Shepherd moved to Whittlebury near Towcester. For the first eleven years it was a purely private enterprise paid for entirely out of her own pocket.

As the Sanctuary grew over the years, and having exhausted all of Jane's personal finances, the Algernon Trust was established in 2001 as a non-profit organisation in order to raise funds to keep the sanctuary going. Today the Sanctuary is well known and respected. It has achieved registered charitable status and has been entered into the Register of Charities with the Registered Charity Number 1151827.

In 1991 Jane arrived with just five feral cats, one fox and one rabbit. Today there are usually at least sixty cats, more than twenty dogs, plus foxes and assorted poultry in the Trust's care. Jane also provides a wildlife rescue service 24 hours a day 52 weeks a year.

The Trust re-homes cats and dogs where possible but many of the cats Jane takes in are sick and/or elderly who need to remain at the Sanctuary for the rest of their days. Currently there are over thirty residents. The Trust has become as much a hospice and retirement home for cats as a re-homing centre, and caring for sick and elderly feline friends puts an enormous strain on the Trust's finances.

Animals are taken in from a wide area not just from Northamptonshire and adjacent counties but from all over the country.  The Trust has a strict “no kill” policy and Jane has no age restriction and has taken in cats over 20 years old.  All animals are neutered, vaccinated and micro chipped before being rehomed, all at the expense of the Algernon Trust.


The Trust only has 4 kennels, all donated, plus the old ferret pen for emergencies.  Foster homes are relied on to provide temporary care for dogs and cats awaiting adoption. Sometimes it is necessary to keep dogs at private boarding kennels to ensure they are not put to sleep when the Sanctuary is full.  The kennels are paid for by the Trust.  Foster carers make a huge difference, not only does this reduce the cost of boarding kennels but it enables the dogs to live in a home environment until such time that they find their permanent homes. Fosterers provide love and food for the animals and the Trust provides support and covers vets bills.