AN animal rescue and rehoming centre has received a £54,000 boost to its appeal to rebuild some dilapidated dog kennels.

Staff and volunteers at Heaven’s Gate, the National Animal Welfare Trust’s Somerset Centre near Lang-port, were visited by national charity Support Adoption for Pets and presented with a surprise £50,000 cheque.

Heaven’s Gate is just one of ten UK animal charities to be awarded the gift from 130 applications.
On top of that, it was handed £4,000 raised by the centre’s Bridg-water supporter group.

The volunteers have spent the past year baking cakes, growing and selling plants, hosting countless events and attending local fairs to raise the money.

Centre manager Claire Rowe said: “We can’t thank Support Adoption for Pets enough for the £50,000.

“We’re all buzzing about it and can’t wait to get working on the kennels.

“I also want to send special thanks to the Bridgwater supporter group for their gift – they’re a team of amazingly dedicated people.

“Both awards are a massive step towards giving our beloved animals a better quality of life.”
The centre re-homes around 400 dogs and cats a year, and the appeal forms part of a wider programme of repair and renewal at the site.

Amy Wilson, charity manager at Support Adoption For Pets, said: “We were overwhelmed with both the quantity and quality of videos we received for our £10million celebration campaign.

“It was an extremely tough decision for our trustees to choose the final ten with so many deserving animal rescue centre and welfare organisations having entered.

“We’re thrilled to award the NAWT a grant of £50,000 to enable it to continue the important work it does to help animals in the local community.”

Heaven’s Gate is still looking for support for the kennel appeal – to help by giving a donation, your time or skills, call 01458-252656 or email j.higgins@nawt.org.uk