Volunteering At The Sanctuary Helping Care For The Animals

Algernon Trust Appeals For Volunteers

A local animal rescue & rehoming Sanctuary, the Algernon Trust in Whittlebury near Towcester, is appealing for people to spend a few hours each week to help care for the animals at the Sanctuary.

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 her personal finances, the Algernon Trust was established in 2001 as a non-profit organisation in order to raise funds to keep the shelter going. Today, the Sanctuary is well known and respected.  They have achieved registered charitable status and have been entered into the Register of Charities with the Registered Charity Number 1151827.

Today, Jane continues to run the Sanctuary with an invaluable team of volunteers helping her care for the animals. It would be impossible for Jane to care for the animals alone and seven days a week each morning around 9:30 and evening around 5:30 two volunteers arrive, one will help care for the cats, feeding and cleaning out litter trays and the other will walk, clean out & feed the dogs.  Jane generally knows which volunteer will be coming on which day morning and evening, but there are still days where no volunteer is available, such as Wedensdays - evening helpers with dogs & cats are desperately needed.  From time to time because of holidays, illness or other commitments a regular volunteer may not be able to come to the Sanctuary and this is when she would call on her back up team, volunteers who are unable to commit to come every week at the same time but who can be called on to cover when required.

Currently we have the following regular slots available;

Dog Walking

Monday 5:30/6pm
Friday 9/9:30am

Saturday 5:30/6pm

Caring For Cats

Wednesday 5:30/6pm
Saturday 9/9:30am (alternate Saturdays)

The Algernon Trust from time to time hold volunteer open mornings where people interested in volunteering can come along to meet the animals and see what is involved in volunteering at the Sanctuary but can arrange this for people at anytime.

Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer or foster carer can contact Jane at jane.shepherd@me.com

Please note that volunteers must be over 14 years old

www.facebook.com/algernontrust 

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.

Jane relies on volunteers to help at the sanctuary with feeding and cleaning out all the animals and dog walking. Tara is one such volunteer and this is her experience of volunteering:

“Volunteering at the Algernon Trust began, for me, in summer 2011. I met Jane when I took some food donations to the Sanctuary and didnt realise she had dogs at that time. Viewing the Trust website, I looked at all the other dogs & cats needing homes but also the animals that had already been rescued & homed by her and was very impressed at the amount of good work she had managed to do as a small rescue.

Unfortunately, due to tenancy, I am unable to have a dog of my own so volunteering with Algernon has given me a great alternative way of spending time with the dogs, enjoying walks and adding to their welfare, it has also been a great way to keep fit!

Volunteering has been extremely rewarding to me in terms of seeing how a dog can progress from a timid, abused rescue case in to a happy and confident family pet, not only enriching the animal’s life but also that of the new family who have been kind enough to adopt a new pet.

I have also met, and made friends with many like minded animal lovers at the Sanctuary which has been very helpful for me for two reasons. Firstly, it has given me the opportunity to get more involved in work of the Algernon Trust and secondly, on a selfish level, it is fantastic free exercise, whereas I may be tempted to skip the gym or exercise class, there is no way that I can let the animals down so it ensures that I maintain the exercise!

I would encourage anyone with some spare time and empathy for rescued and abused animals to get involved and do some volunteer work. It really is so rewarding and I am privileged to be part of the Algernon Trust!