Unsung heroes praised for helping to keep Sheffield RSPCA Centre open during Covid-19 pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic hit the budgets of the Sheffield RSPCA branch and as a result saw carers at the centre launch online appeals for support in order to help keep the facility going.

Centre representatives, which is completely independent of the national RSPCA charity, told how they were struggling for money because they were unable to hold events due to the government’s coronavirus guidelines that were in place.

In addition, staff faced challenges in terms of maintaining the building and part of the heating stopped working at the site one Christmas, which led staff to ask for donations on social media to fund the vital work.

As a result of the appeals, a number of individuals and organisations in the community rallied to offer their support free of charge.

This included one occasion when one of the kennel roofs caved in after heavy rainfall and a number of tradespeople fixed it for nothing.

Sheffield Plumbing Services have also fixed their underfloor heating and Bradwell Skips have offered the centre free use of a skip when they had an issue with people fly-tipping at the site.

Staff invited everyone from volunteers and tradespeople like builders, electricians and plumbers to representatives of organisations such as Marks & Spencer, Dunelm Mill and Iceland to their Attercliffe base on Saturday afternoon to give everyone a big thank you.

The Lord Mayor of Sheffield, councillor Gail Smith, was also in attendance as those at the function enjoyed toasting a glass of bubbly and a bit of cake.

Centre manager Dianna Radford, who recently bagged the title of Employee of the Year in the Petplan and Association of Dogs and Cats Homes (ADCH) Animal Charity Awards 2022, said: “These have been some of the darkest days ever during the pandemic.

“If it was not for the support from people responding to our appeals then we could have ended up closing.

“But in the end we managed to keep the doors open 365 days a year, 24/7, all in aid of the animals.”

She added: “I wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who has helped us out and it has shown what great community spirit we have here in Sheffield and beyond.

*Those that have helped us really are unsung heroes and deserve to be acknowledged.

“And all of this help means we don’t have to spend money on the bricks and mortar and can dedicate more resources to helping animals and paying for vets bills, etc.”

The centre re-homes about 1000 animals a year, from cats and dogs to lizards and snakes.

For more information about how you can support the centre visit www.rspcasheffield.org