Staff at Battersea Brands Hatch have kicked off a special fortnight of celebrations as this month sees the much-loved Kent rescue centre celebrate its 25-year anniversary.
Canine and feline residents in the charity’s care were treated to their own special party enjoying plenty of enrichment games, some party treats and, as always, getting lots of love and fuss from the centre’s dedicated staff.
Speaking about the rescue’s incredible milestone, Centre Manager Ahmed Abdeldayem, said: “For a quarter of a century, Battersea Brands Hatch has been a safe haven for dogs and cats needing a second chance in life with our expert teams going all in to give them the behavioural and medical care and TLC they need to help them find new homes with loving families.
“Throughout October we’ll be toasting this special anniversary at the centre by hosting a series of events starting with a party for our rescue residents, special enrichment sessions and a reunion walk for past canine residents who will joined by their owners at the centre this Saturday 19th October”.
"We are so grateful to our amazing supporters, dedicated staff and volunteers who have helped give loving new homes to the dogs and cats for so many years. It’s been such a privilege to be an important part of the local community and here’s to the next 25 years of being there for rescue’s who need us.”
Helping to toast the centre’s anniversary was Jack, a sweet five-year-old Greyhound, whose spirits were lifted with some anniversary fun as he has now been waiting for a new home for more than 220 days in Battersea’s care. An affectionate Domestic Shorthair cat called Taylor was also in party mode and had her own cause for celebration as she found a new home to call his own after a month in the charity’s care.
Located in the heart of the Kent countryside, the centre first opened its doors on 26th October 1999 and was originally set up to help support the increasing number of rescue animals coming into Battersea’s centres in London and Old Windsor, Berkshire. The centre is surrounded by 12 acres of fields, including a beautiful woodland trail, providing nervous dogs a quieter environment to get some much-needed exercise whilst they explore the outside world. The centre also provides unique outdoor cat enclosures for felines who want to explore their new surroundings. The centre has helped rescue, reunite and rehome thousands of animals with over 2,000 dogs and cats being rehomed in the last five years alone.
Staff at the centre have fallen in love and cared for many rescue residents over the years including a memorable Crossbreed called Possum who came into the centre as a stray back in 2019 with a rare skin disease and was nursed back to health over the course of several months, becoming a firm favourite amongst staff before she found loving new owners. Also melting hearts at the centre was Luke who went viral online back in 2022 after nobody came to his Valentine’s party and after garnering international attention, he also found his forever home. Also getting love and attention from Brands Hatch staff was 13-year-old Domestic Shorthair Pixel who spent over 150 days this year in the centre’s cattery overcoming her nervous nature, before finding a loving new retirement home.
The centre has also played host to famous faces with Battersea’s Royal Patron Her Majesty The Queen, then The Duchess of Cornwall, visiting the site with the charity’s late Ambassador, Paul O’Grady in February 2022.
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Notes to editors
- At Battersea we offer our love and expert care to dogs and cats who need us by rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming animals at our centres, and by sharing our knowledge and resources with other organisations around the world. We do this because we want to help every dog and cat, everywhere.
- In 2023 Battersea directly cared for 2,529 dogs and 2,450 cats at our three centres. We also helped thousands more through campaigning work, supporting other rescues and animal welfare advocates, and sharing knowledge and advice with pet owners.
- In addition to the site in South West London, Battersea also has two other centres based at Old Windsor, Berkshire, and Brands Hatch, Kent.
- We’re reliant on the generosity of the public to continue to fund our vital work helping dogs and cats and the people who care for them. To donate to Battersea, visit: https://donate.battersea.org.uk
- To find out more visit our website or follow Battersea on X @battersea_, Instagram @battersea or facebook.com/Battersea.