Small is beautiful

Still getting loads of ideas for charities that our lovely reader could leave her money to. I've been looking at the links that people are following to get to this blog and I think some charities may have got the wrong end of the stick. It's not a case of getting as many people to nominate a charity as possible, it's more a case of explaining why the charity is special and needs the money.
One of the latest posts starts off with an apology as the person posting actually runs the little charity themselves. No need to be shy, I'd love to hear more from these lean little charities. Tell us how the money would be used and tell us what you do already.
The only criteria is, they must be registered charities.

Here's the example that I would say is a good example of the sort of posts we'd like more of. I'd never heard of this charity before but 300 dogs off death row is a brilliant record, but I would like to know what the extra money would enable them to do...

I would like to nominate our dog charity Plantation Dog Rescue. I know you probably aren't supposed to nominate yourself but we definietly fall into the category that the donars are looking for.
We are a small dog charity rescuing dogs from death row in the pounds in Yorkshire. We are a registered charity and are entirely donation run. Since opening in Jan 2005 we have rescued and successfully rehomed over 300 dogs. All the dogs are assessed, fully vaccinated, neutered, chipped and flead and wormed up to date before going to suitable vetted homes. If for any reason the homing doesn't work out or circumstances change we always take our own dogs back.
For more details on our dogs, our charity and what we do please visit www.plantationdogrescue.co.uk

Comments

Mandy said…
Another very worthy small charity would be Greyfriars Hydrotherapy's Barney Fund - http://www.greyfriarsrehab.co.uk/barney.htm
which provides rehabilitation (hydrotherapy, physiotherapy, TTouch, Acupuncture, etc) for dogs in rescue or for those whose owners cannot afford the fees. They have a team of dedicated professionals who give round the clock care - some stay as inpatients and others visit as and when needed.
Bev Ham said…
Dave and his loyal band of helpers at GLWR is my nomination.
They maybe small, but you won't find anywhere in the land a more determined, tireless. selfless, and passionate group of people, who will not rest until all greyhounds are where they belong, which is resting their worn, and often malnourished bodies on soft beds,and sofa's, with deserved love and respect.
Dave is their saviour and his utter love for these wonderful and noble creatures knows no bounds, and all at GLWR and their unflagging loyalty is humbling.
Jean Burchell - Trustee said…
I would like to nominate Tia Greyhound & Lurcher Rescue registered Charity 1105626. Tia, an independent Charity, was founded in 1997 and has rehomed over 1750 unwanted dogs since then.
From humble beginnings Tia has grown year on year and now owns a permanent home - bought with the assistance of a huge £200k mortgage - which is a headache in itself. Tia has a super purpose built kennel block and always has at least 80 dogs in its care waiting for their "forever home."
In spite of the size to which Tia has grown the only wages are for kennel staff - all admin and fundraising is done by a small army of unpaid volunteers.
The kennels are situated in a remote location (for obvious reasons - 80 dogs in a town centre would not be a good idea!) in West Yorkshire. The only access is via a private unmade road which is full of deep potholes and badly in need of major repair.
The state of this road is offputting to all visitors, dog-walkers, volunteers and would be adoptors alike as they risk/suffer vehicle damage every time they visit the kennels.
This road desperately needs remaking and resurfacing but all the Charity's fundraising efforts are absorbed by the day to day running costs (including an annual vet bill of £50K) and servicing the mortgage. Tia simply cannot set aside sufficient surplus funds to have the work done and every Winter the road gets worse and worse.
£25k would be a fantastic amount to receive. It would be sufficient to get the road professionally remade thus solving the problem once and for all and improving access for everyone involved in caring for the dogs.
Please visit our website www.tiagreyhounds.org.uk
Gail said…
I would like to nominate Tia Greyhound and Lurcher Rescue, a registered charity number 1105626, who rescued my ex-racing greyhound Holly. Tia is an independent charity, receiving no money from the greyhound racing industry and has rescued over 1750 dogs since it started in 1997. They do such a fantastic, selfless job rehabilitating and finding forever homes for so many dogs that would otherwise be destroyed. The huge mortgage for the kennels is a struggle and the legacy would make such a difference to the dogs and the really dedicated group of volunteers. Details of just some of what they do can be found at http://www.tiagreyhounds.org.uk.
Susan Phillips said…
Tia Greyhound and Lurcher please.

A new road would be bliss. I scraped my exhaust on the potholes yesterday picking up a foster dog. The road would make a tank think twice never mind a prospective adopter. Tia do a fantastic job at the sharp end and a bit of help for this independent charity would be wonderful. Thank you for this marvellous gesture anyway.
Angie Williamson - Trustee said…
I would like to nominate Tia Greyhound and Lurcher Rescue to be considered as a recipient for the Legacy.

We are a small independent charity located in West Yorkshire and we are funded solely by our own efforts and the generosity of donors like yourselves.

Volunteers are out most weekends, sun, rain, sleet or snow trying to raise funds to keep Tia afloat - this is a never ending battle, especially in todays climate when people are struggling for cash.

The mortgage is huge, the vets bill enormous but the volunteers remain totally committed to Tia

We rescue, rehabilitate greyhounds and lurchers and find them their forever home. If for some reason they cannot be placed in a home outside the kennels, they have a forever home with us. We never put a healthy dog to sleep.

This Legacy would mean such a lot to Tia, taking a little bit of pressure off.
www.tiagreyhounds.org.uk
Anonymous said…
Hi, I just wondered how the process of choosing the charities is going to work. There are so many deserving causes listed... will you be contacting the ones you will consider and get them to fill in an application or soemthing like that?
Anonymous said…
I would like to Nominate Tia Greyhound and Lurcher Rescue, they do an amazing job for hundreds of dogs, i got my lovely greyhound from there 8 years ago, he is now the grand old age of 13 and a loving and gentle giant. Tia gives these dogs the second chance they all deserve.
shaz said…
I'd like to nominate SHAK (Safe Homes And Kindness)a small rescue set up 3 years ago by Stephen Wylie. He works tirelessly and selflessly to rescue dogs whilst holding down a full-time job and raising a young family. SHAK is based in Northumberland and attained charity status last July. I am one of a small band of volunteers who raise every penny we need to pay for kenneling, food and vet's fees. We specialise in saving large breeds from death row especially GSD's and Rotties and their crossbreeds. Please checkout our website www.shak.org.uk. A legacy like this would allow us to secure the future for so many more dogs.
Anne Fagg said…
I would like to nominate Many Tears in south Wales. I have been following their progress on thier website for a year or so and then started to foster for them. I have found them to be really thorough in thier vetting, yet open minded as to who would be the most suitable prospective owner for a needy dog. They also seem to "reach parts other charities don't" though thier rescue of dogs from the Wales and Ireland pounds.
Anne Fagg
Anonymous said…
Hi there, Plantation Dog Rescue again! If we recieved a grant (depending on the amount), we would split it between veterinary bills and some new kennels.
We never cut corners with the medical treatment because we feel it is very important for all the dogs to be fully vaccinated, flead, wormed, neutered and chipped. New owners need to be aware of any medical problems that the dog may have before they rehome it wherever possible. We, aswell as many other rescue centres, have seen first hand the fatal affects of not vaccinating therefore every dog is vaccinated.
It may sound like a cliche but we want to help not only the dogs of today, but the dogs of the future too. We very strongly believe that all rescue dogs should be neutered.There are too many dogs in rescue, in the pounds, being dumped every day. We need to tackle the problem in the longterm and not just the short, which you all probably know is an expensive affair. Being in credit at the vets would be such a relief to us!
We would also like to put in some more kennels. We have sourced someone local who build fully galavised dog runs for four hundred pounds each. We could put some kennels inside them and each run would easily house two dogs at a time.
Since the recession hit more dogs have been dumped and donations have decreased. We would love to help more dogs but we are struggling with space and funds.
Some smaller rescues have already been lost due to the economic climate which is why we think it is brilliant that this grant is available to smaller charities who deserve the help as much, if not more than the larger ones.
Anonymous said…
Hi there. I would like to nominate PLANTATION DOG RESCUE in North Yorkshire for this generous donation. They rescue dogs from kennels throughout the Yorkshire area who have served their 7 days abd are due to be put to sleep. This is a registered charity run entirely by donation and the staff of 3 cover the work between them 7 days a week and spend their free time thinking up fund raising ideas to keep the money coming in. They have a small team of volunteers but they never sit back and let other people do the fund raising or dog walking. The staff are 100% committed to the work they do and they do it well. They manage to stretch a little bit of money to go a long way so this donation would enable them to provide so much for the dogs that they could have only dreamed of.
Mac Boulton. said…
The most worthy dog rescue charity I have known in my 62 years is "Plantation Dog Rescue".Run by Ruth and her staff and band of volenters.
She rescues dogs that have been long term in centres and are on the death list, no dog is ever put down at Plantation and every effort is made whether the dog is old or young to find a suitable home for every animal that arrives at her gates.Ruth herself gives up a lot of "luxeries"in life which any young woman of her age would be entitled too and spends all her own money on these Rescue Dogs.
All money raised by collections, sponsored walks
open days etc goes on the vets bills,food and upkeep of the rescue centre.Ruth has a very dedicated band of volenters that spend a large amount of there spare time at the Rescue Centre, Raising funds,dog walking, home checking etc.£25,000 would make certain PLANTATION DOG RESCUE could secure a future in the long term for a lot more unfortunate and homeless dogs of all ages, saving them from being put to sleep,at PLANTATION the dog stays untill a home is found.
Anonymous said…
A donation of this size would make the most stunning difference for the hard working volunteers at the Hereford and Worcester Dog Rescue Centre.They don't receive any financial support from Herefordshire council, despite taking in all the Herefordshire strays and they no longer have the benefit of Dogs Trust neutering vouchers, as the Welsh rescues do.
Richard said…
A donation of this size would make a stunning difference to the volunteers of the Hereford and Worcester Dog Rescue who, like so many such organizations, have to run on a shoestring budget. They don't receive any financial support from Herefordshire council, despite taking in all the Herefordshire strays and they no longer have the benefit of Dogs Trust neutering vouchers, as the Welsh rescues do.
Richard said…
A donation of this size would make a stunning difference to the volunteers at the Hereford and Worcester Dog Rescue which, like so many such organizations, has to run on a shoestring budget. They don't receive any financial support from Herefordshire council, despite taking in all the Herefordshire strays and they no longer have the benefit of Dogs Trust neutering vouchers, as the Welsh rescues do.
Anonymous said…
I know I nomianted Greyhoundgap.com on a post on the orignal thread but having seen this new thread I thought you's like to know a bit more about Gap. We re-home and rehabilitade around 200-250 greyhounds and lurchersfrom pounds in the midlands area mainly stoke one trent a year. Each dog is vaccinated, micro-chipped and neutered at the bare minimum, alot of dogs have other on going health concerns that also need addressing. Currently we rent between 15-20 kennel spaces costing £2000.00 to £2500 a mounth. On top of that we can have up 40 dogs going through our fostering system. As you can imagine the bills are huge and every penny is raised buy our volentters.
What would 25K mean to greyhound gap? It would be a huge step towards the 30% deposit we need towards a £300,000 mortage so we have our own base so that the dogs in our care get 24/7 in our own kennels while waiting to be fostered. The dogs with deep rooted problems would have much more intensive rehalbiation and socializtation and Gap would have 100% control of the enviroment that our kenneled in.
Thanks for reading.
Nicky
Jon said…
I have just found coldwetnose and I would like to nominate the greyhound sanctuary (www.thegreyhoundsanctuary.org). Based in Devon, it rescues former racing greyhounds mainly from Ireland and Spain, improves their health and finds them good homes. Sally Slater and Jo Gray (Jo is Sally's 80+ year old mother) moved house to get the sanctuary running. It is hard work (fund raising, daily care and finding new homes), more difficult now to raise money with a recession biting. But a number of abused dogs have been found good homes with a better life, rather than no life at all. It is a small but stalwart team who work incredibly hard. I think that the sanctuary deserves support.
Jon
Anonymous said…
I would like to nominate a small greyhound rescue kennels based in Devon. A registered charity called The Greyhound Sanctuary.
Abandoned, abused and unwanted greyhounds are looked after until, hopefully, new homes can be found for them, or, failing that, the Sactuary is somewhere where they can live out their lives in peace and safety.
Sally, who runs the Sanctuary, devotes herself tirelessly, to the welfare of the dogs and works so hard fund-raising, etc.
All of the money raised goes direct to the dogs.
John and Gill said…
I would like to nominate Lizzie's Barn, Kidwelly, South Wales.
In late 2004 two German Shepherds were thrown out of a van in South Wales, one male and one pregnant female. Fortunately, they were rescued by Fionna and by Lizzie's Barn. A few days later, four beautiful puppies were born. One of these puppies is now our much-loved Ellie, the best friend anybody could wish for. That is what small rescue centres like Lizzie's Barn do.
Lizzie's Barn is a wonderful place. The love and care given to all the animals is outstanding; some are re-homed, others too sick for re-homing are loved and cared for for the rest of their lives. And through their work, we have the joy that is Ellie!
John and Gill
The Bulldog Rescue and Re-Homing Trust definitely counts as one of the top 30 dog charities in the UK. Entirely dependent on voluntary donations, and run on a shoestring by Tania Holmes and her husband, David, from their home in Midhurst, the charity rescued and re-homed 130 dogs last year. We receive referrals from Dogs Homes and Dog Wardens all over the country. Bulldog Rescue has been in existence for 20 years, although only became a registered charity five years ago. The outgoings of the charity are modest - there is a network of 22 volunteers who do homechecks, transportation and fostering - and income is generated by fundraising events like the Bulldog Picnic on 5th September at Lavant, and appeals to charitable trusts. It is sad but true that the bulldog - our national breed - suffers from neglect and abuse as much as other breeds. In addition, the current recession has resulted in a massive increase in dogs coming into the rescue. More information on www.bulldogrescue.co.uk £25,000 would keep the charity going for almost a whole year! What a wonderful idea.
sarah vincent said…
i would like to nominate bulldog rescue and rehoming UK, based in midhurst, west sussex - tania and her family do so much for bulldogs, we attend the bulldog picnic held once a year in september , its great to see so many bulldogs come together and to see how the charity is progressing. I frequently go on the website to see whats been happening down at bulldog rescue its a great site to go on, so many good stories to read on rehoming bulldogs, many opportunites to donate to the charity, they are trying to raise money for a new van at the moment, tania has many volunteers which help do all kinds of work from walking the bulldogs to feeding them, there is many vet bills to pay and many dogs to feed, but tania is a dedicated and determined person. Keep up the good work its wonderful what you do.
Connie said…
I would like to nominate Bulldog Rescue, run by Tania Holmes and her husband. This is such a worthy cause. The kennels are full, with an overflow of dogs into Tania's home and foster homes. The bank balance is low as there are always vets bills to be paid and long journeys to be made to pick up needy dogs. They also desparately need a van. It is worth looking at the Bulldog Rescue website for almost all the daily stories and dramas, particularly in Tania's blog.
Unknown said…
We too would add our vote to the nomination of Bulldog Rescue UK.
Although the breed has never been more popular circumstances may occur when a bullie has to be rescued .Tania Holmes does an admirable job for the breed helped by a network of volunteers throughout the country and wholly depends on donations for funding.Many of the rescued dogs these days need veterinary care before new homes are found for them.It would help enormously if breeders took reponsibility for any dogs they have bred ,micro chip them so they can be identified and returned to origin but sadly this is not the case and a lot of education has to take place before this ideal is reached.Homeless Bullies are therefore defenceless without rescue there to care for them and find them new homes.
Tony & Barbara
jackiepud said…
A CHARITY THAT IS A WORTHY AND WOULD BENIFIT GREATLY FOR THE DOGS THAY CARE FOR AS WELL AS FIND NEW HOMES FOR. IS BULLDOG RESCUE.CO.UK IN MIDHURST WEST SUSSEX. THEY ARE FANTASTIC PEOPLE, WHO GIVE UP THEIR TIME AND HOME TO HELP WITH SICK BULLDOG AS WELL AS THE DOGS THAT ARE NO LONGER WANTED BY THERE OWNERS. BULLDOG RESCUE IS A WONDERFULL PLACE AND HAVE GIVEN SO MUCH LOVE AND CARE FOR A BEAUTIFUL BREED.
sara said…
As a voulenteer for bulldog rescue I see all the fantastic work Tania does in finding new homes for bulldogs that need a new home through no fault of theirs own. She arranges homechecks as well as transportation and fostering. A lot more dogs are being offered for rehoming and the extra cash donation would make all the difference. Keep up the great work Tania and remember all the dogs are behind you
vickilister said…
I feel Bulldog Rescue and Rehoming UK deserves to be nominated for some of this money. The people here work so hard for the dogs that people have either puppy farmed or just cannot look after thier pets for one reason or another..There is no condeming done they just for the welfare of the dog find a new forever home..This might takes ages to do, but eventually they do it...
nessie said…
i would like to nominate the bulldog rescue for funding please, we have two very special people to aid and help our most noble and beloved breed, these two people go out on a limb to help all our lovely bullies in need of vetinary attention or need rehoming all there funding at the moment comes from donations, this is not enough to sustain the help they so readily give to our bullys they never turn a dog in need of help away so any help you could give them would be very much appreciated and would be put to use for medication, rehoming microchipping in fact anything that makes our poor bully's safe please help them we need it thank you nessie
Suhasini Date said…
Whilst a vet student I spent some time out in India volunteering at TOLFA (Tree of Life for Animals). I have seen firsthand the difference this small charity is making to the local dogs. Previously there was no one to speak up for the large numbers of street dogs and many were mistreated and disease ridden-suffering from distemper, rabies and severe mange. TOLFA is promoting animal welfare amongst the locals and runs a rabies vaccination programme, as well as a neutering scheme for dogs. All donations go directly towards helping the dogs be it through providing enough food for in-patients, blankets in winter or buying much needed veterinary supplies. In the UK our pet dogs have such a high standard of living, please support TOLFA so they can continue to help less advantaged dogs. www.tolfa.org.uk
Serena Schellenberg said…
This is a wonderful initiative. Legacies so often are left to the well know animal charities, with huge overheads and big advertising budgets, when a relatively small amount of money can make such a difference to small grass roots charity. Tree of Life For Animals in Rajasthan takes loving care of all those street dogs you see when you're traveling, who are suffering from mange, malnutrition distemper, maggot wounds or horrific injuries from the crazy traffic, that break your heart, but you don't know who to turn to. Well there is this amazing little animal hospital, with a surgery and kennels and a dedicated Indian staff who rescue them, relieve the suffering, heal the dogs and release them fully fit to live happy free lives in their dog packs in their neighbourhoods, where the tea shop owners feed them. 3,000 animals are treated each year, but the hospital lives so hand to mouth. Money goes a long way in India with the vet salary at just £2,500. I am a trustee and have made a little film about the work that can be seen on YouTube. I hope so much that you can help us.
suzanne_vet said…
another vote for TOLFA (Tree Of Life For Animals). It does work no one else will and as mentioned previously, a little goes a very long way in india so you can help a LOT of dogs (and donkeys and camels...) for that
Rowan at Burns said…
Hounds for Heroes will provide ex-service and emergency personel with specially trained assistance dogs. All money donated to this new and exciting charity goes towards the purchase, training and care of the dogs and nothing else! Every penny helps and in this case it would help restore the dignity and confidence of those who have laid down their lives for us.

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