TAZZ SAYS YOU’RE TOPS [12.04.22]
BIG thanks from Tazz, one of over 100 abandoned dogs in the Animal Lifeline rescue kennels in Stoke on Trent, for the recent donation of food from Pets At Home.
Tazz is keeping watch over the food as it is unloaded and of course looking forward to tasting some of it!
‘We greatly appreciate the support of Pets At Home, it is of significant help to us with so many dogs in our care, ’ said kennel manager Steve Woodward. ‘Some older dogs are in our sanctuary for long-term care, but most are with us pending re-homing and the donated food really makes a big difference.’
ANIMAL LOVING MP HIGHLIGHTS ANIMAL LIFELINE [07.02.22]
Big thanks to Jo Gideon, the Conservative MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central, for her strong speech on an animal welfare Bill in Parliament on February 4th and for highlighting the rescue and rehoming work of local animal charities – including Animal Lifeline.
Jo told MPs: ‘Animal Lifeline in Stoke on Trent is a fantastic charity which has cared for dogs for over 40 years, rehomes over 300 dogs and puppies each year and has saved more than 11,000 over the years.’
Her full speech can be read by clicking here.
DEAF PUPPIES – TWO RE-HOMED, ONE TO GO! [16.08.21]
The Walmsley family recently had a deaf puppy from Animal Lifeline and have sent us this update on how their new family addition, called Spike, is settling in:
“This is spike the puppy’s first few weeks with us he’s getting on great, loving our caravan in Wales – he sleeps through all night, loves his walks, is brilliant on the lead and is very food driven, but what dog isn’t !! We have taught him to sit with hand signs and he is pretty much house-trained, just the odd accident. He’s fantastic with the kids, everybody loves him. His favourite toys are his Kong and balls he’s going to make the most amazing dog. Thank you so much Animal Lifeline.”
Kelly, Nigel, Billy, Ruby, and little Spike xxxxx
There is still one puppy looking for a furever home as at today.
GREAT DELIVERY DHL! [09.04.21]
Our thanks to Paula Isteed and colleagues at DHL Supply Chain for Sainsbury’s at Stoke Retail Service Centre for donating £1,000 worth of dog food and various cleaning products for use at the charity’s rescue kennels and sanctuary at Cellarhead. Paula (in green) is pictured helping unload after delivering the items with her colleagues Chris, Paul and Karina.
‘This was a fantastic donation of much-needed items which will be of significant help to us and we are very grateful to Paula and all at DHL-Sainsbury’s for their support,’ said Cassie Fletcher of Animal Lifeline’s fund-raising team.
MORE BOXES AND EVEN MORE BOXES [01 Feb 21]
BIG THANKS to Eden Holistic Pet Foods which has donated a large quantity of dog food and treats to Animal Lifeline to help it through the Winter period.
Eden Holistic Pet Foods, which is based in Stoke-on-Trent, prides itself on on formulating a range of foods that caters to the nutritional needs of both cats and dogs. Developed in consultation with vets and nutritionists, all its food has the best quality meats, fruits and vegetables, and is completely grain and gluten free.
Pictured (right) is Eden’s Managing Director Paul Conquest, handing over some of the food to kennel manager Steve Woodward at the charity’s Serendipity Kennels on Leek Road, Cellarhead.
‘We are very grateful to Eden Pet Foods for donating a large quantity of its products which will be of help to us at a very difficult time,’ said Cassie Fletcher, one of the charity’s fund-raising team.
For further details of Eden’s products, go to www.edenpetfoods.com
OUTSTANDING DONATION FROM LIFE LONG SUPPORTER [02.08.20]
A huge thank you to Ted, who has been a supporter and volunteer of Animal Lifeline for 17 years, for a very generous donation of £5,000 to help us as we haven’t been able to hold any open days due to current events with Covid-19.SUMMER ONLINE RAFFLE [01.08.20]
The rescue’s Summer Raffle went online as Covid-19 killed off our Summer Open Day at the kennels. Liz Draper had hoped to raise a fairly big figure bearing in mind previous live raffle achievement of many hundreds of pounds. The final figure was £510 which as many would say “didn’t exist yesterday”! Thanks to all who did take part and to Liz for all her hard work!
COVID MESSAGE FROM ANIMAL LIFELINE [07 July 2020]
DISASTER STRIKES! [03 May 2020]
Whilst one of our dogs, Mowgli, was out for one of his daily walks the roof of his kennel caved in due to unseen water damage. This couldn’t of come at a worse time for us as an animal charity as we rely solely on public funding and this will be a costly repair. Covid-19 has already made it so we have had to close our charity shops, cancel any fundraising events and it has affected donations from the public. Unfortunately the government isn’t offering any support to animal welfare charities so we are already struggling for funds, if any one is able to help in any way, big or small please leave a donation or contact the kennel manager Steve on 07925 585358.
We would love to be able to reunite mowgli with his sofa soon!
Thank you for your continued support and we hope everyone is well and staying safe.
Love Mowgli and everyone at Animal Lifeline. 🐾❤
Please help us – PayPal – https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr…
HARD TIMES IN ‘LOCKDOWN – BUT THANK YOU [01 .04.20]
Our grateful thanks to all who are supporting Animal Lifeline with donations and dog food, it makes a significant difference especially as our two charity shops are closed which has a major impact on the charity’s income during the current virus crisis. We have also had to postpone our fund-raising Spring open days and garden parties.
The welfare of our dogs is our top priority and our dedicated staff and volunteers are caring for them within strict virus-protection conditions, so all the dogs are being exercised and fed.
We are always in need of tinned dog food and are especially short of soft dog-treats if anyone can help. We are also in need washing powder or preferably washing pods to help maintain the daily supply of clean blankets for all the dogs in our care.
All items can be left at the kennels by just putting them over the front gate – no need to go in as the drop-area is regularly checked. So if you are making an essential journey elsewhere in the kennels direction you can stop off to make a delivery.
Thanks again for the many who are sending us donations, buying raffle tickets for our big draw, and supplying dog food.
Your kindness and generosity is truly making a difference.
JEWEL IN THE CROWN DONATION [18.03.20]
Our thanks to Beaverbrooks jewellers in Hanley for a wonderful donation of £650.
Branch manger Kate and assistant branch manager Maria are pictured handing over the cheque to kennel manager Steve Woodward in the laundry room of the charity’s Serendipity rescue kennels at Cellarhead.
“It is a significant donation which will be of great use to us at a very busy time,” said Animal Lifeline’s Cassie Fletcher. “We are very grateful to everyone involved at Beaverbrooks, it was so kind of them to think of us.”
A NEW YEAR MESSAGE FROM ANIMAL LIFELINE [02.01.20]
A very happy New Year to all our supporters! As Animal Lifeline enters its 45th year, it does so with stronger community support than ever.
Our website visitors and Facebook followers are both at record levels, our Winter Fund Raising Appeal has been a tremendous success, enabling us to progress safely through the busy winter months when our costs rise.
During the past 12 months, we have re-homed 153 dogs that were handed over to us, and an additional 25-30 strays were returned to their owners. We have also successfully rehomed 18 puppies from litters born soon after their mothers were handed over to us. And of course we have taken in around 100 more abandoned dogs as kennel spaces became available.
Dozens of people who have dogs from us show delight with their new dogs by postings on our website, on Facebook and on other social media outlets, clearly contradicting those who say we don’t re-home many dogs! Please keep posting as we love to hear how our re-homed dogs are getting on. This can be on Facebook or our website via the link on the ‘Our dogs – where are they now? page.
Like all animal charities, local councils, government agencies, large retailers, the media, politicians and other public figures, we get inevitable internet trolls peddling falsehoods and fake news about us but it is just a sign of the troubled times in which we live.
YOUR increased support for what we do indicates you see through this deceptive fog and we are very grateful for the courage and enthusiasm you give us. It spurs us on to continue doing what we do – rescue abandoned dogs. They need us and we won’t let them down.
A GREAT CHRISTMAS FAYRE [03.12.19]
Last Sunday’s Christmas Fayre at Moorville Hall Hotel was a great success and raised a total of £2,537.50 through stall sales and the – one of our best ever!
Among the attractions were two items signed to legendary England goalkeeper Gordon Banks and kindly donated by his daughter Wendy. These items were sold at the fayre by sealed bids and fetched £156. A special mention must go to Liz Draper who organised the grsnd raffle drawn at the fayre wihich raised an additional £2,730.
Our thanks to all who attended supporting the fayre and who bought raffle tickets. Thanks must also go to all the volunteers who worked so hard to set it up and staff the stalls. Without them we simply couldn’t raise the funds needed towards fulfilling our role in the community.
BIG THANKS TO CO-OP CUSTOMERS [26.11.19]
Two Animal Lifeline dogs paid a special visit to the Washerwall Lane Co-op store at Werrington, Stoke-on-Trent to receive a wonderful cheque for £1,734.21p raised by customers. The dogs, Willow (left, with kennel manager Steve Woodward) and 16-week old Cleo (with store manager Mark Poyner) received a lot of fuss and enjoyed their visit.
Animal Lifeline trustee Cassie Fletcher said: “We are very grateful to all the Co-op customers for their support. The total raised is amazing and will be of great help to us over the Winter period.”
“The Co-op’s Community Fund is an important way of benefitting local charities, allowing local people to chose the causes they wish to support and we very much appreciate their recognition and understanding of the work we do in rescuing and re-homing abandoned dogs.”
GORDON BANKS SIGNED BOOK AND PHOTOGRAPH – TO BE SOLD AT ANIMAL LIFELINE CHRISTMAS FAYRE [13.11.19]
Two items signed by legendary England goalkeeper and World Cup star Gordon Banks and kindly donated by Gordon’s family are to be sold by sealed bid at the Animal Lifeline Christmas Fayre on Sunday 1st December at Moorville Hall Hotel, Leek Road, Cellarhead, Stoke-on-Trent ST9 0DG, open 2 pm-4 pm.
There is a signed copy of ‘Banksy’, the autobiography of Gordon Banks, and also a signed and framed colour photograph of Gordon making his famous save from a shot by Pele during the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. They come with a letter of authentication from Gordon’s daughter Wendy confirming the donation.
Postal sealed bids from United Kingdom addresses ONLY will be accepted provided they arrive no later than Saturday 23rd November 2019. These should be addressed to Banks Bid, Animal Lifeline, PO Box 411, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire ST3 4SS. Please ensure your full contact details are supplied with the bid. The successful bidder will be expected to pay shipping costs if not attending the fayre in person.
CYCLING ‘CHIMNEY SWEEP’ RAISES HUNDREDS [08.11.19]
SCHOOL DOG FOOD DONATION [02.11.19]
Our thanks to the students, parents and staff at Moorside High School, Werrington, who collected a large quantity of dog food and treats for the Animal Lifeline Winter Appeal. The school has supported our charity in the past and this year’s bumper collection was another outstanding effort.
Some of the students are pictured with Adam Woodward, one of our kennel staff who took along one of our rescue dogs to meet everyone.
Animal Lifeline trustee Cassie Fletcher said: ‘We are very grateful to everyone involved at Moorside High School, the food and treats are of great help to us and are very much appreciated.’
ALFRED GIVES HIS ALL! [14.10.18]
Nine year old Alfred Harrington set out this Summer to do his very best and raise funds for Animal Lifeline, his favourite local charity. To achieve his aim he ran five kilometres around the grounds of Trentham Gardens raising £104.55 for the welfare of dogs in our care. Alfred in pictured handing his well earned cheque to our Serendipity Kennels manager Steve Woodward. Many thanks Alfred and well done!
For a few months now Animal Lifeline has posted ‘alerts’ concerning a fireman supporter who plans to raise money for our dogs in 2020. We call him our ‘superman’!
In fact, we already have our 2019 ‘superman’ – Lee Dale! At the beginning of the year Lee along with a mate Tom Quinn raised £1,100 for us (29 April post on our timeline) by climbing Snowdon but now Lee has done even more!
As the successful and busy owner of Low Cost Roofing and proud family man it is so much appreciated how much time, money and effort he puts in to Animal Lifeline, so helping with our role in the local community of giving shelter to unwanted dogs and, where possible, finding new homes for over 300 a year.
This really is a case of ‘the community giving something back to our canine guests’.
So far in 2019 Lee and his team has funded the re-opening of our Newcastle-under-Lyme shop following the burglary there in March, fitting cameras and monitors on site for security, this summer painting the exterior of the shop building, providing new external signage for the shop, 
donating money from various work projects undertaken by his business and, more recently, to meet local council demands, he spent the day clearing a much overgrown area to the rear of the shop which restricted exit/access. Having got the shop up to standard, Lee has also undertaken several projects at our Cellarhead kennels, so ensuring that our ability to properly and comfortably house our dogs is always maintained. Lastly but not least Lee and his men have helped with the gazebos at our open days!
Thanks so much Lee, your efforts and concern have saved us a small fortune which means other people’s donations can be fully used for our dogs.
Image may contain: house and outdoor
Our thanks to Libby G for kindly donating a large quantity of dog treats, dog leads, toys and bedding to Animal Lifeline. She is pictured with kennel manger Steve Woodward when she delivered the items to the charity’s rescue centre on Leek Road, Cellarhead.
“We are very grateful to Libby for donating so many items, all of which will be of significant help to us at our rescue kennels,’ said Animal Lifeline Trustee Cassie Fletcher.’’ ‘I understand Libby has four dogs of her own. 
She clearly has a great love of dogs and it is a tribute to her that she wants to help those we have in kennels awaiting new homes. “
Libby is representing Staffordshire Moorlands in the finals of the Miss Sovereign GB Pageant on August 17th, and all at Animal Lifeline wish her every success.”
MEALS FROM MOORSIDE [24.10.18]
Students, parents and staff from Moorside High School at Werrington, Stoke-on-Trent collected a large quantity of dog food to help the Animal Lifeline Winter Appeal. Kennel manager Steve Woodward and rescue dog Jackson are pictured collecting the food, which will help feed over 100 dogs in the charity’s rescue kennels near Cellarhead.
“ We are so grateful to everyone at the school for their wonderful donation, which will be of great help to us at a busy period of the year and with so many little mouths to feed,” said charity trustee Cassie Fletcher. “It is pleasing that the students take such an interest in dogs and animal welfare, it is a great credit to them. We very much appreciate their support.”
MASONS MAKE DONATION TO ANIMAL LIFELINE [08.08.18]
Every year Freemasons from Leek donate money to a number of local charities and this year is the first time one of the recipients is an animal charity – Animal Lifeline’s Serendipity Kennels, Leek road, Cellarhead, Stoke-on-Trent has received a donation of £250 plus a quantity of dog food.
Selwyn Burton, the Provincial Senior Grand Warden and Rob Barker Chairman of Leek Masonic Hall visited the kennels to make the presentation.
Selwyn and Rob from St. Edwards Lodge were representing all the Mason’s at Leek, and met up with Steve Woodward who manages the kennels and were shown around what they described as “a very impressive set-up.”
They added:”There were up to 90 dogs present waiting to be re-homed, all of them kept in excellent conditions and clearly well cared for. Dogs of many breeds and ages, including the 10 week old puppies in the photographs all looking for a loving home.
“The kennels have been taking in and looking after dogs for more than 40 years and in that time have found homes for more than 10,000 dogs. The kennels are run by a voluntary group who have been led by Steve Woodward for the last 10 years, none of the officials are paid and all donations are spent on the welfare of the dogs. It is a registered charity.”
Rob Barker said: ‘It is a pleasure to help Animal Lifeline, they do a fantastic job looking after and re-homing all these wonderful dogs’.
The puppies in the pictures are from a litter of four females, two have found homes and one of the two pictured has a home to go to this weekend and there is a potential home for the fourth one.
PETS AT HOME VOUCHER WELL SPENT! [07.07.18]
Troy, a 9-year old English Bulldog Cross, is keen to help unload tinned food and treats purchased thanks to a £250 Pets At Home voucher. Troy and over 100 other dogs at the Animal Lifeline dog rescue charity in Stoke-on-Trent will benefit from the scheme.
“We really appreciate this support from the Pets At Home VIP Lifelines – we have a lot of little mouths to feed and the voucher is a big help,” said charity trustee Cassie Fletcher.
Troy is pictured with kennel manager Steve Woodward at the charity’s Serendipity rescue centre and sanctuary on Leek Road, Cellarhead, Stoke-on-Trent ST9 0DG. Animal Lifeline has been operating in the North Staffs and South Cheshire area for over 40 years and always has at least 100 dogs in its care pending re-homing.
SNAIL’S TALE! [04.07.18]
Our thanks to staff at Tennants Fine Chemicals Ltd, of Leek, for raising £222.70p by staging a snail race!
The event and a raffle were staged at Leek Cricket club as part of a TFC summer party and before anyone asks, the snails were all cartoon snails shown on a big screen!
There were six races and the overall winner was Nick Abbott (pictured under). Also shown at the race ticket sales desk (L to R): Rachel Barrett, Kim Nieto, Emily Paddock and Fiona Currie.
“There was a good turn out and it was lots of fun, “ said Kim, who is HR Controller at Tennants Fine Chemicals.
Animal Lifeline Trustee Cassie Fletcher said: “It was a novel idea and we are most grateful to everyone at TFC for thinking of us and for raising a wonderful amount which will help towards the welfare of the 100-plus dogs in our rescue kennels.”
RUNNERS UP IN PETS AT HOME VOTE [04.07.18]
Animal Lifeline has just won a £250 award from the Pets At Home VIP Club ‘Love To Give’ campaign which is promoted through all its stores. A big thank-you to all our supporters for taking the time to vote for Animal Lifeline and get us into the runner’s-up position in the awards scheme.
PLEASE NOTE supporters can support us all year round if they are become a Pets A Home VIP member and select us as their Lifelines charity on petsathome.com/VIP.
Animal Lifeline Trustee Cassie Fletcher said: “Pets At Home does a fantastic job supporting animal charities across the UK and we are very grateful to benefit from the scheme. The award enables us to get lots of dog food and treats for the 100-plus dogs in our Serendipity kennels at Cellarhead, Stoke-on-Trent.”
TRENTHAM GARDENS COLLECTION [12.06.18]
A Saturday 9 June collection at the Trentham Gardens Shopping Village in Stoke-on-Trent raised £152 from dog lover/animal friendly shoppers. Many thanks to all who donated and those who collected on a warm weekend.
MORRISONS COLLECTION No2 [02.05.18]
We collected again on Friday 27 April at Morrisons in Newcastle-under-Lyme (Goose Street store) where £175 was generously donated by dog loving/animal friendly customers. Another big thank you to customers, our team and Morrisons Supermarkets for their on-going support of our canine rescue charity.
MORRISONS COLLECTION No1 [27.04.18]
Wednesday (25 April) saw our street collection team at Morrisons in Newcastle-under-Lyme where £215.09 was generously given to them by dog loving/animal friendly customers. Thank you all and once again the team and Morrisons Supermarkets for their dedication to our charity.
APRIL OPEN DAY & FETE [12.04.18]
Our first Open Day & Fete for 2018 on Sunday 8 April was unfortunately spread between our kennel (open to visitors) and the nearby Moorville Hall Hotel (fete side of the event) following a very damp forecast for the day. Those attending the latter raised £2,016 for the charity. Thank you very much if you purchased from our stalls and equally a big thanks to all our volunteers who coped with the venue change and challenges the change brought.
Dates for our other events in this annual series will be published shortly on our website and Facebook events page.
COLLECTING IN THE RAIN [10.04.18]
Very wet weather on Saturday 7 April did not deter Animal Lifeline’s volunteer collection squad from being at Trentham Gardens Shopping Centre, Stoke-on-Trent where in a shortened damp day £158.10 was donated by the public. Thank you all!
CHILD’S COLOURING BOOK RAISES CASH [30.03.18]
Stanley (ex-Animal Lifeline) goes to work with his new owner on a coconut products stand in the local market in Totnes, Devon and a few others. Since moving from Stoke-on-Trent to the south he has become a bit of a celebrity amongst market traders and customers alike.
Copies are available direct from Stan and Nigel at this link for £6 post free with 10% of that price being donated to Animal Lifeline. Simply put “Animal Lifeline” in the ‘Company‘ box when checking out!IN MEMORIAM [07.03.18]
Pictured (left to right) with Animal Lifeline kennel manager Steve Woodward are the Moss family – Amanda, Steve, Lara and Val – who called at our Serendipity Kennels to donate £540 in memory of Carl Moss who died recently. He was a much loved husband and father. The family have been long term supporters of Animal Lifeline and we very much appreciate the donation in memory of Carl.
TOWARDS A GOLDEN GOOSE [19.02.18]
Friday 16 February saw Animal Lifeline volunteers collecting once more at the Morrisons store in Goose Street, Newcastle-under-Lyme. £228 was kindly donated by shoppers to help with the care of dogs in our kennels.
QUIZ NIGHTS RAISING FUNDS FOR DOG CHARITIES [04.01.18]
If you are in Newcastle-under-Lyme on a Monday night, pop in to the Victoria Pub for their charity quiz which supports Animal Lifeline! Quiz night commence Monday 8th January 2018.
LOOK WHAT CAME DOWN OUR CHIMNEY [21.12.17]
Checking out food kindly donated by Pets At Home via their VIP Club charity scheme is rescue dog Lulu, a 2 year old Bulldog-cross who is one of over 100 dogs in the Animal Lifeline dog rescue kennels and sanctuary at Cellarhead, Stoke-on-Trent. Our thanks to staff and customers at Pets At Home for their generosity. [Photograph by Vince Marsden.]
ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS….. [15.12.17]Three-year-old Lillie-Mai Oldfield told her mother Jade that she wanted to help dogs at Animal Lifeline and together they raised money to get lots of food, treats, toys, blankets and several new dog-beds which they delivered to our Serendipity rescue kennels and sanctuary near Cellarhead, Stoke-on-Trent. Lillie-Mai is pictured with the items before they were loaded up and delivered to us.
“This was a wonderful Christmas gift for our dogs and we are very grateful to Lillie-Mai and Jade for there kindness and for working hard to provide so many different items, all of which will be of great help to us,” said charity spokesman Nick Fletcher. “I understand this was Lillie-Mai’s own idea and she has proved herself to be a very special little girl.”
CANINE CAKE COLLECTS THE CASH [11.12.17]“Tony” the cake dog (see photo) was used to raise funds, by guessing the weight of the cake at our Christmas Fayer, towards the kennel’s laundry expenses. We managed to raise a weighty £137 towards the overall fayre takings and Tony was taken home to a caring home by a lovely lady called Sue.
A huge thank you to Tony and staff at “Sweet Fantasies” for their fantastic creativity, support and generosity!
LOCAL CO-OP STORES & SHOPPERS RAISE £4,096 [01.12.17]Between April and September this year shoppers in Co-op stores in our area signed up to contribute a small percentage of their shopping spend to Animal Lifeline via the Co-op Community Fund. Animal Lifeline is very grateful to the Co-op for selecting us as a fund recipient and all the generous Co-op customers for their support in raising a magnificent £4,096.04p for our charity. This a wonderful amount which will be of significant help to us at a very busy period. Without such warm-hearted support, we just couldn’t rescue and re-home for many abandoned dogs.
On Saturday 25 November Animal Lifeline volunteers Lisa and Paul along with Lulu one of our dogs were at the Co-op Store in Heathcote Street whilst Gillian was at the Co-op Florence Park both in Stoke-on-Trent to say thank you. ‘Out of the blue’ the Florence Park manager (in blue) provided blue topped fairy cakes for sale which with a raffle raised a further £175.68!
OUR BEST CHRISTMAS FAYRE – 2017 [29.11.17]Here are some photos of the afternoon. £3,223 was taken in the two hours that the fayre was open, making it our best ever Christmas Fayre event!
Many thanks to all our hard-working volunteer helpers, to the manager and staff at Moorville Hall Hotel for their assistance, and thanks also to specialist dog photographer Vince Marsden for donating his services in taking pet portraits at the fayre.
Some dogs were a little shy and a photographic challenge!
You’ll note that from the photos that it was not just humans that got to the event! Hope to see everyone again at one of our 2018 Open Days & Garden Fete (dates out in the New Year).
TRENTHAM COLLECTION TOPS £200 [28.10.17]A further collection on 28th October at Trentham Gardens, Stoke-on-Trent by our volunteers following that of last month raised £203 – a very similar amount! Once again many thanks to all who generously donated and the management of the shopping centre for their continued support of Animal Lifeline.
THANKS SO MUCH PETS AT HOME! [21.10.17]
LAST OPEN DAY FOR 2017 [26.09.17]
Sunday 24 September 2017 saw the last of our Open Days held at our kennels in Cellarhead, Stoke-on-Trent. Much hard work was put in to the event by our volunteers to make it a success. Thanks to all those dog lovers and friends of Animal Lifeline who came along and a really big thanks for the £2,917 you spent! This sum will, as always, be used in full for the welfare and care of the many canine ‘guests’ currently with us.
We hope you will come again in 2018 – keep an eye on our website or Facebook page for dates.
An additional £208 was raised at Trentham Gardens on the Saturday in the form of a collection. Thanks too to all who gave there, so making a really rewarding weekend for our charity.
LOLA LATEST [14.08.17]
We are pleased to report that Lola had her damaged eye removed last week, and all went well. She is now back home and being cared for by her new owners and we plan to post some photos of her very soon. Photo aside pre-op.
Her other eye has limited vision and is being monitored by a veterinery eye specialist, who will decide decide on the best treatment in due course.
Again, thank you all for your wonderful support and donations which have made her operation and follow-up treatments possible.
BOOST FOR PET CHARITIES [14.08.17]
Stoke-on-Trent dog rescue Animal Lifeline will be one of several charities to benefit from five sponsored marathons run in five days by Ian Sear, organiser of the The Pet Show which takes place this weekend (August 19-20) at Stafford County Showground.
Pet-mad Ian took on the 131-mile challenge to help animal charities, and a variety of domestic pets and other creatures will be featured at the show including Ornate Horned Frogs, French Bulldogs, Giant Land Snails, Donkeys, Royal Pythons, Hissing Cockroaches, Macaws and Bengal Cats.
This dog-friendly event features 14 different indoor and outdoor displays including dogs, horses and birds of prey. There are also hundreds of pet-related trade stands.
Among special guests over the weekend will be Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalist opera singer Pippa Langhorne who will be performing live with her dog Buddy. Also appearing will be this year’s Britain’s Got Talent favourite Lynne Land and her car-driving poodles.
Further details: www.thepetshow.co.uk
Lifeline Dog Rescue Centre at Cellarhead, Stoke on Trent. Wally and all his other pals benefit from food donations via the Pets At Home VIP Club, and collected from the Longton store.Said charity trustee Cassie Fletcher: “ We – and the dogs – are very grateful for the support from Pets At Home. We have lots of hungry little mouths to feed and the food and treats from the VIP Club make a significant difference.”OUT OF UNIFORM FOR ANIMALS [18.07.17]
Thank you so much to all the humans everywhere who donated. Lola’s first operation to remove one eye takes place this week and we wish her all luck with that stage of dealing with her eyesight problems.
One piece of really great news is that she has found a truly caring couple and a new ‘forever home’ where she will be cared for and loved during this traumatic part of her life – and thereafter!
Visitors also brought along tins of dog food to help boost supplies for the 120 dogs being cared for by the rescue ahead of re-homing.Said volunteer Cassie Fletcher who helped stage the event: “More and more people are abandoning dogs and we have a record number in our care at present, and a waiting list for kennel spaces.
“While we are re-homing steadily, overall pet ownership is declining in the UK due to changing social and work patterns, so we are always at full stretch. We try to help as many needy dogs as we can. It was wonderful we had such good support at our open day. The money raised will help us out at this difficult time, plus boost our food stocks.”The open day and garden fete featured various under-cover stalls, 
including toys, plants, books, home-made cakes, tombola and refreshments and also presented the chance for visitors to meet Lifeline kennels staff and volunteers.A ‘bucket collection’ for the LOLA EYESIGHT APPEAL raised £250 during the course of the day – see new video on appeal page,The next open day and garden fete at the kennels will be on Sunday September 24th from 2pm – 4pm. Admission and parking are free and visitors can also take along their own dog.MARATHON FUND-RAISER! [15.06.17]
Pet show event organiser Ian Sear is running five marathons in five days to raise money for several pet charities including Animal Lifeline.
The 131-mile multi-marathons will take place between June 30 and July 4 and in each marathon, Ian (pictured) will be running dressed as a different animal! 
If you wish to donate, visit https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/petshow
The event ties in with the giant Staffordshire Pet Show , taking place at Bingley Hall, Stafford County Showground on August 19-20. It is the UK’s largest indoor and outdoor pet event which also invites you to bring your dog along with you!
Visitors to the show can expect a variety of unique displays, have a go activities and pet-related shopping.
Tickets are now on sale, for more information on this year’s event, please go to The Pet Show website. www.thepetshow.co.uk
STORAGE REQUIRED [21.05.17]Animal Lifeline urgently needs a substantial secure dry storage facility to house several tons of pet food and other items for a period of up to two months. With our limited funds, we need it to be in effect ‘donated’ or on a no-rent or possibly a nominal rent basis.
Given the nature and value of the contents the building will have to be secure and completely weather-proof. If anyone can help, please contact us via our online form.
Sentinel Covers Open Day [15.05.17]
Open Day & Garden Party Sunday 14 May 2017 [16.05.17]
First Round Co-op Community Fund Donation & Local Shops Celebrations [24.04.17]
See story under – Animal Lifeline will use the money donated to provide an extra rescue kennel, and for additional dog food supplies.
First Round Co-op Community Donation & Second Round Selection Announced [12.04.17]
The Co-op Local Community Fund has given us £1,943.91 at the end of a 6 month exercise where registered Co-op members within 15 miles of Animal Lifeline using Co-op shops and services have raised 1% of their total spend for us. A truly magnificent effort by all involved; so many thanks to the Co-op and its members who chose nominated our charity to help our canine guests!
At the same time the Co-op has announced that Animal Lifeline has been selected for a second round local fundraising 6 month eligibility period ending in September 2017. We would ask all who participated in the first round to continue their nomination of us and for those local Co-op members who did not know of the scheme to register (click this link) Animal Lifeline as their preferred local charity for this new fundraising period.
Using the Co-op gets us funds – Update [17.03.17]
See earlier Co-op news item lower down this page. There are just THREE weeks to go now and so far £1,112 has been raised for Animal Lifeline. There’s still time for you to register with the Co-op and add a few extra hundreds to this figure. Please help!
Morrisons Collections Add to Funds [10.03.17]
Collections at the Morrisons Superstore, Milehouse, Newcastle-under-Lyme on 6 and 7 March raised £416.50 for Animal Lifeline dogs in care. Many thanks to all who made these collections possible.
TV Stars Sue and Anna Have Dog from Animal Lifeline [26.02.17]
Television celebrities Sue Perkins and Anna Richardson have recently had a dog from Animal Lifeline – Tia, a 5 year old Staffie.
Sue, star of The Great British Bake-Off and many other shows, and Anna, a TV producer, author and the presenter who hosts the Channel 4 TV show Naked Attraction, visited Lifeline’s Serendipity Kennels near Cellarhead and fell in love with Tia, who is pictured enjoying her new life at the couple’s North Staffordshire home.
Sue and Anna knew of Animal Lifeline’s Serendipity Kennels near Cellarhead and went along to find a dog which would be a loving companion and also have the temperament to deal with a busy lifestyle. After a tour of the kennels and advice from manager Steve Woodward, the couple finally settled on Tia.
“She is a lovely dog and and seemed just perfect for us,” said Sue, who is pictured with Anna, Steve, kennel staff Dan and Sophie, and Anna’s sister in law Michelle, when they collected Tia.
Anna, who later sent us some ‘at home’ photos of Tia, said “She has settled in very well. We love her so much and she is being really spoilt. We can’t believe how lucky we are.”
Using the Co-op gets us funds [21.02.17]
There are six weeks left for Animal Lifeline to build up funding from the Co-op Local Community Fund. This means that we will get a contribution from the fund towards keeping our ‘guests’ comfortable, healthy and well cared for until they find new ‘forever homes’.More Volunteers Required [26.12.16]
Christmas Collection – Morrisons Newcastle-under-Lyme [22.12.16]Animal Lifeline Takes in Severely Emaciated Dogs [01.11.16]
Our Serendipity Kennels are now a safe place home for two Staffie crosses – Max and Lola – as they recover from their ordeal. See details on our ‘Give Us a Home’ page and get in touch if you are interested in giving them a new loving environment and lots of TLC!
ASDA Collection – Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent [02.10.16]
A day’s collecting at Asda’s busy Tunstall store last Friday produced £205.59 in public donations. Once again thanks to the management of that store and those members of the public wanting to see ‘our canine guests’ looked after well.Remember we exist only with that important cash input!Morrisons Collection [10.09.16]
The small Animal Lifeline collections team were on site at the Milehouse Lane Morrisons supermarket in Newcastle-under-Lyme on 8th and 9th September. £321 was raised. Many thanks to all involved and who donated!
The event starts at 8.15 pm and features two acts including jazz singer Asa Murphy. Tickets are £10. Contact: Anthony Munday 07743 876421.
Big Issue: ‘We need a ‘dogged’ effort to crackdown on puppy farms’
By The Sentinel | Posted: December 16, 2015
By Tom Burnett
RSPCA figures show Staffordshire is in the top 10 counties for suspected puppy farms. Tom Burnett found out more about the problem of illegal dog breeding…
WITH Christmas just around the corner, animal welfare charities will be preparing their advertising campaigns warning people that: “A dog is for life, not just for Christmas.” Indeed, the festive season is still a depressingly popular time for people to hastily purchase puppies, not realising the responsibilities that come with pet dog ownership.
A significant number of these will come from so-called puppy farms – underground operations often based in someone’s spare room or garage with the sole aim of churning out as many puppies as possible at a maximum profit with no regard for animal welfare. And latest figures from the RSPCA reveal Staffordshire is a hotspot for illegal breeders hoping to make some quick cash.
They show Stoke-on-Trent and the rest of the county is in the top 10 counties for the number of calls to the RSPCA about suspected puppy farms so far in 2015. While Staffordshire was 10th on the list with 95 tip-offs, neighbouring Cheshire was sixth with 123 calls. Nationally the charity received 3,232 calls – a 122 per cent increase from five years ago and on average one every hour.
RSPCA assistant director of public affairs David Bowles said: “Puppy trafficking is big business and dealers are getting rich from duping members of the public and often leaving a trail of sick and dead puppies behind them, not to mention the heartache of families that have bought puppies.
“If they’re lucky enough to be rescued, it can be really difficult for the puppies to cope in a home environment and it takes a lot of time, patience and hard-work from their new owners to help them settle in and become confident.
“We want to see tougher regulations in place around the sale of puppies. In 2013 the UK Government brought in new laws to tackle the criminal scrap metal trade in England. But now it’s puppies who are being traded like scrap with no regard for their welfare, or even if they live or die.”
Nick Fletcher, from Stoke-based Animal Lifeline, has been campaigning against puppy farms for a number of years, after witnessing first-hand the issues some of the dogs develop.
He said: “The problem is they are often very small operations run from people’s gardens, garages and spare rooms. They are all about making as much money as possible with no regard for the well-being of the animals.”
“We’ve been working with Stoke-on-Trent City Council and our local MPs to make it harder for people to breed dogs in their homes.”
He added that, while he was dismayed with the number of instances, he was glad members of the public were alerting the RSPCA to suspected puppy farms in the county. Nick said: “It is encouraging that the public is concerned.
“One thing we’ve found is that the people of Stoke-and-Trent are generally animal lovers and very concerned for their welfare. Of course there are always exceptions and it is important people are aware of these puppy farms.”
National charity the PDSA, which has a animal hospital in Stoke, also urged people to use caution about where they brought their new pet. Popular breeds can command prices of more than £1,000 per puppy with some people tempted by a discount rate.
PDSA vet Vicki Larkham-Jones said: “Puppy farms are places were dogs are bred with no regard for the wellbeing and welfare of the bitches or their litters. The puppies often have health problems that can lead to long term issues and unfortunately, we see the victims of this cruel trade on a regular basis. The puppies are often forced to leave their mothers when they are far too young and many don’t make it past puppyhood.”
“As well as this, the constant battery-style breeding can leave the mothers in an appalling condition.”
Vicki is urging people not to purchase puppies from the farms, no matter how well-intentioned they may be. She said: “People might think that they are rescuing puppies from these farms but in reality, they are fuelling the trade and keeping them in business.”
“We would urge anyone who is thinking about getting a pet to do their research, not only to make sure that they have the time and resource to cater for that pet’s needs, but also to make sure that the animal comes from a reputable breeder or rescue centre.”
THE LAW:
THE Breeding of Dogs Act 1973 (as amended by the Breeding and Sale of Dogs (Welfare) Act 1999) licences breeding establishments and the sale of dogs. This legislation sets out a regime for local authorities to license and inspect dog breeding establishments within their jurisdiction which should have gone some way to tackle puppy farming.
However, problems with enforcement have meant that it has not curbed the activity of puppy farmers as local authorities lack the resources and expertise to properly address poor breeding practices and current guidance on selling puppies in pet shops is unclear.
Life-size Beagle – a Piece of Cake Thanks to Oak Furniture Land [11.12.15]
Congleton-based Danesford Obedience Dog Training Club members have once again chosen Animal Lifeline to receive a sizeable donation in support of the dogs we rescue and rehome. On Tuesday 2nd December, Animal Lifeline volunteer Gillian Kaloyeropoulos attended the club’s annual Christmas dog games event (see photos) and was presented with a Pets at Home voucher for £500, tinned and dry food and some dog beds and other items. Aside from giving a general talk on Animal Lifeline, Gillian also drew Danesford members’ attention to some of our dogs needing new ‘forever homes’.
Steve Woodward, manager of Animal Lifeline’s Serendipity Kennels, in welcoming the £500 donation explained that it could not have come at a better time and would be used towards purchasing food for the kennel’s many residents.
Many of you may have seen some of the local, national or even international coverage of Maggie, a dog who has been in our kennels for 11 years, despite many efforts to re-home her. Maggie is not a nasty dog but she can be difficult, not getting on with other dogs and often with other people.Animal Lifeline took her in when she was two years old – she is now 13 – and while we have repeatedly tried to find her a new home, none have been successful. Her story, reported in the local Press, went worldwide and we had people as far as the USA and Canada wanting us to ship her out to them! The kindness and concern for Maggie (pictured with volunteer Alex) was amazing and she was an overnight media star! We made several further attempts to re-home her from the more local enquiries, but Maggie persisted in not engaging with potential new owners. In her own way, she was telling us she was happy and comfortable in our kennels, where is is loved and cared for by staff and volunteers.We appreciate all the concern and good wishes for Maggie from across the globe, with many people praising us for looking after Maggie for so long, and pointing out that many agencies would have had her put down long ago.Maggie will now stay in our sanctuary section where she will be looked after for the rest of her life by our team with whom she is familiar and content.
New Venue Auction Off to a Good Start[16.11.15]
The first Animal Lifeline auction to be held at the Sneyd Green Community Hall, Stoke-on-Trent saw a reasonable turn out of bidders considering the change of venue. £800 was raised with a mechanical life size golden haired dog raising one of the largest sums of the evening after a positive bidding round amongst the public. Thanks to all who came along and bid for and purchased the many items in the auction.
Animal Lifeline has launched its new Christmas card (pictured) which features dogs and other animal pals eagerly watching Santa flying through the starry sky. The card – slightly larger than last years – was designed by noted artist Eliza Lillie and is titled Waiting Patiently!
The cards will be sold in packs of 10, with envelopes, and with the Animal Lifeline logo and details on the back. The interior greeting is With Best Wishes For Christmas and the New Year.
**They are available at both our shops at £2.75 per pack of 10, or on eBay at £3.99 including UK postage.**
Open Day Success [09.09.15]
The Animal Lifeline open day and garden party at Serendipity Kennels on Sunday September 6th was a great success and raised £3,265.
And special thanks to Councillor Jean Bowers, Lord Mayor of Stoke on Trent, (pictured right) who officially opened the event and who has also made Animal Lifeline an official charity during her year of office. We are very grateful for such wonderful support.
Maggie Hits the Headlines [03.09.15
Animal Life long-term resident Maggie featured in the local and national media both in print, online, on TV and on radio following the breaking of her 11 year stay in Serendipity Kennels. Below are cuttings from the Daily Mail (02 Sep) and The Sentinel, Stoke-on-Trent (03 Sep).
Tinned Food Appeal [01.09.15]
Animal Lifeline is appealing for tins of quality dog food including Pedigree Chum and Chappie, as stocks are getting low. The rescue has plenty of dried food in store but some dogs require different diets including tinned meat.
Money at Morrisons [22.08.15]
Volunteers from Animal Lifeline collected at the Morrisons Supermarket on Festival Park, Stoke-on-Trent during Friday 14 August. £192 was donated by generous shoppers. Many thanks to all who gave.
Animal Lifeline is part of the ‘Chosen By You’ charity appeal at Asda at Wolstanton, and shoppers are given tokens they can put in various charity boxes.The charity with the most tokens gets a significant donation from Asda, so please help us be the winner by putting your tokens in the ANIMAL LIFELINE box! Thank you all for your support, which is greatly appreciated.Open Day Success – Sunday 14 June [25.06.15]
Despite some unseasonably damp weather, the Animal Lifeline garden fete and open day at the Serendipity Kennels at Cellarhead on Sunday June 14th raised a magnificent £2,200.
Next fete and open day will be on Sunday September 6th from 2pm-4pm.
New Venue for Christmas Fayre [29.05.15]
Animal Lifeline’s Christmas Fayre will be held at a new venue this year – Sneyd Green Community Hall in Ralph Drive, Sneyd Green ST1 6HN.New Venue for Charity Auction 29.05.15]
Lifeline’s next charity auction will be on WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 11 at a new venue – Sneyd Green Community Hall in Ralph Drive, Sneyd Green, ST1 6HN. The sale will feature wines and spirits, toys, books, gifts, toys, collectables and many other items, all to be sold without reserve. The sale will start at 7pm, with viewing from 6.30pm.
ASDA Fenton Collection Well Up to the Mark! [25.05.15]
Regular venue, Asda Fenton pips previous collection totals at £156.90 on Saturday 23rd May. Thanks once again to the management of that store and all their customers who donated and for those volunteers collecting.
Every penny counts for Animal Lifeline’s guests – we have to raise funds for everything ourselves. Our canine friends rely totally on public generosity!
By the way that’s ‘Fibre Fido’ our collection mascot in the picture, just in case you wondered why Asda allowed a real dog in store.
Sarah’s Charity Run [19.05.15]
Sarah Harris, who lives at Biddulph, recently competed in the famous Manchester 10K Run, with Animal Lifeline her chosen charity. She raised a magnificent £316.85p.
Sarah is pictured with her medal after the race, and also at the Lifeline kennels handing the money to manager Steve Woodward.
“I had a fabulous day, ran a brilliant time and also raised money for Animal Lifeline – what more can you ask ?” said Sarah. “ It was an absolute pleasure to be able to help such a worthwhile cause.”
Animal Lifeline Trustee Cassie Fletcher said :“ It was wonderful effort and we appreciate Sarah’s hard work. The money she raised will be of significant help to us at a very busy time for the kennels.”
“ We very much appreciate the support of the school,” said Nick Fletcher of Animal Lifeline. “ The money and treats were most welcome, especially at a time when we are caring for more dogs than ever. Our thanks to everyone involved.”
Having Your Cake! [30.04.15]
Our thanks to staff at Grindeys Solicitors in Stoke-on-Trent who staged a Mad Hatter-themed bake-off to raise funds for three local charities.
Table Top Sale [28.04.15]
A table top sale at the Pool Dole Inn at Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent on April 26 raised £352.67 for Lifeline. It was staged by Alyson McNamara who was helped by the pub manager Tony and staff and customers.
Dancing for Dogs [28.04.15]
Dancers raised £1,300 for Animal Lifeline by staging a variety show at the Fenton Community Centre on April 11. About 60 talented performers from the Michelle Moss School of Performing Arts took part in the sell-out show.[Photo: Courtesy of The Sentinel]
Special Spring Sale to Raise Funds [14.04.15]
Sunday 26 April 2015 2pm – 4pm – a value for money sale of all sorts of items and goods donated to Animal Lifeline to raise funds for the care and welfate of animals we look after – see.
Michelle Moss School of Performing Arts to Support Animal Lifeline [07.03.15] Stoke-on-Trent based Michelle Moss School of Performing Arts is to offer the proceeds of an April Variety Show to Animal Lifeline – see details.
Animal Lifeline Charity Auction – Newcastle-under-Lyme [21.02.15]
Wines and spirits, jewellery, gifts, books, toys, ceramics and collectables are among 140 items being auctioned on Thursday APRIL 16 to raise funds for Animal Lifeline. The event is at the Thistleberry Hotel in Newcastle. Viewing is from 6.30pm and the auction starts at 7pm.
“All the items have been donated by individual supporters and local businesses and we have a very wide and interesting collection of goods to sell ,” said charity volunteer Cassie Fletcher. ” We need to raise funds to help us through a challenging period with so many dogs in our care at the moment. We are hoping the auction will raise around £1,000. We have had great support from local people who have donated the items and now we need to turn those items into cash to help meet the costs of running the kennels.”
CHRISTMAS FAYRE CRACKER! [12.12.14]
The Animal Lifeline Christmas Fayre held at the Thistleberry pub in Newcastle on Saturday 6th December raised £1,800, a fantastic total.
Our thanks to all those involved in donating items, setting it up and staffing the stalls, it was a terrific result. Our thanks also to the manager and staff at the Thistleberry for the use of the room and their general help. Much appreciated.
CONGLETON CHRONICLE COVERS CALLED OFF DOG SHOW GENEROUSITY [11.12.14]
TRENTHAM TOTAL IS TREMENDOUS [25.11.14]
Our small team of bucket rattlers spent several hours at Trentham Gardens shops on Saturday 22 November. The retail centre was alive with Christmas shoppers and a total of £211 was donated which will go towards our kennel costs in the run up to the festive break.
Thank you very much if you gave on the day.
AUCTION SUCCESS! [07.11.14]
A charity auction in November at the Thistleberry pub in Newcastle-under-Lyme raised around £1,170 for Animal Lifeline. More than 130 lots went under the hammer, and items generously donated by local supporters and businesses included wines and spirits, toys, books, unwanted gifts, jewellery and bric-a-brac.
Our thanks to all who donated items, and to those who supported the event by buying all the goods. Thanks also to the volunteers who set it up and staffed the event, and to the manager and staff at the Thistleberry pub who make us very welcome.
The auction is staged twice a year and the next one, again at the Thistleberry, will be in April. Look out for the date appearing in the events section of our website in the New Year.
OCTOBER 2014 BUCKET RATTLING [02.11.14]
Two collections were held in Stoke-on-Trent in October. The first on 25th at ASDA Fenton raised £113.50 and the second at Trentham Gardens on the 26th the sum of £129.92. As always we are grateful to those Animal Lifeline volunteers who collected and the public and organisations that contributed to the collections.
DON’T MISS OUR BIG CHARITY AUCTION [29.10.14]
Wines and spirits, jewellery, toys including Charlie Bears, gifts and bric-a-brac are among 140 items being auctioned on Thursday night (Nov 6th) to raise funds for Animal Lifeline. The venue is the Thistleberry Hotel in Thistleberry Road, Newcastle-under-Lyme. Viewing is from 6.30pm and the auction starts at 7pm.
“All the items have been donated by individual supporters and local businesses and we have a very wide and interesting collection of goods to sell ,” said charity volunteer Cassie Fletcher. ” We need to raise funds to help us through a challenging period with so many dogs in our care at the moment. We are hoping the auction will raise around £1,000. We have had great support from local people who have donated the items and now we need to turn those items into cash to help meet the costs of running the kennels.”
ASDA FENTON STOKE-ON-TRENT COLLECTION [22.09.14]
Our collection at the Fenton branch of ASDA on Saturday, 20 September raised £136. Many thanks to shoppers on that day and ASDA staff for allowing the collection.
KENNELS OPEN DAY A GREAT SUCCESS [09.09.14]
The open day and fete at the Animal Lifeline’s Serendipity Kennels on Sunday September 7th was a great success and raised £2,111.80p.
Our thanks to everyone who supported the event by attending and spending money, and special thanks to all our staff and volunteers who put in lots of hard work to erect the awnings, set up the stalls, make the delicious cakes, and do 1,001 other jobs to ensure the event went smoothly. And they had to dismantle everything afterwards – several hours more work!
We are so grateful to all involved for their efforts and dedication – we have a great team of very special people,
CHRISTMAS FAYRE APPEAL [09.09.14]
Animal Lifeline is appealing for items for its Christmas Fayre, particularly good-condition toys, games, gift items, bric-a-brac and indeed anything that we can sell at this 
special festive event.
Items can be dropped off at our Serendipity Kennels, Leek Road, Cellarhead, ST9 0DG (near Moorville Hall Hotel). The kennels are open 7 days a week, 9am-to 12.30 pm and 1.30 pm to 3.30 pm. We are also in need of blankets for use in the kennels during the winter period. If you have any, please drop those off too!
The Christmas Fayre is being held on Saturday December 6th at a new venue, the Thistleberry pub in Thistleberry Road, Newcastle, and will be open from 1 to 3pm.
Thanks for your support!
TRIATHLON FUNDRAISER [20.08.14]
Joanna Finn and friends Fiona, Kim and Annie raised a wonderful £731, plus Gift Aid of around £180, for Animal Lifeline after taking part in a gruelling triathlon sprint event. The girls did a 400 metre swim, a 16 mile cycle ride and a 4 mile run.
Said Joanna:”It was our first attempt and it threw it down with rain throughout the whole bike ride but it was an excellent event and great that we could raise money for our canine companions in the process.”
Joanna has a rescue dog called Misty from Animal Lifeline and two of her friends also have rescue dogs. The foursome are pictured just after they finished the event “feeling exhausted but looking very pleased with ourselves” and also pictured handing over the money raised to our kennel manager Steve Woodward.
“We are glad our hard work is going to a worthwhile charity and the dogs will see the reward,” said Joanna. ” Our small contribution is nothing compared to the time and love that is given by Animal Lifeline each and every day.”
Nick Fletcher of Animal Lifeline said: “This was a terrific effort and the girls deserve great credit to undertaking such a tough challenge. The money they raised will be of great help to us at a time when we are rescuing more dogs than ever.”
It may still be summer but Animal Lifeline already has its new Christmas card ready for launch!
It will be available on September 7th at the Animal Lifeline open day and fete at its Serendipity Kennels, at Cellarhead, (open 2pm-4pm) – see events – and immediately afterwards at its two charity shops in Longton and Newcastle, and then sold online via Ebay.
The card – larger than last year’s at 6.25 ins by 4.5 ins – is a beautiful and clever design by Sarah Summers, titled Helping Hounds, showing dogs combining their skills to post a letter to Santa! The inside greeting is “With Best Wishes For Christmas and the New Year” and on the back is the Animal Lifeline logo and an imprint saying the card is being sold to raise funds for Animal Lifeline.
The cards will sold sold in packs of 10, with envelopes, at £2.25.
Last year’s card was a tremendous successful and sold out. Orders came in from not just local supporters but from all over the UK and abroad, including America, Dubai and Australia. Make sure you get your packs early, from the open day event or from our shops, before they are listed online!
THANK YOU ASDA SHOPPERS [04.08.14]
Thanks to the management of Asda Wollstanton, Newcastle-under-Lyme Animal Lifeline was able
to ‘rattle a bucket’ outside their store on Saturday, 2nd August. Despite the warm weather our team of volunteers managed to attract donations from many shoppers. Thanks to both a £185 was raised on the day. Photo Left: Volunteer Liz and ‘Fibre Fido’ on duty again!
SATURDAY STOKE-ON-TRENT COLLECTION GOES WELL [26.06.14]
Saturday 21st June saw collections for 
Animal Lifeline take place in Stoke-on-Trent to contribute towards the cost of canine care for all those dogs in the charity’s Serendipity Kennels. The photographs right show volunteers Liz (in blue) and Mary (in red) on duty.
A total of £265 was collected. Many thanks go to all those who donated and volunteers who stood on the city’s streets across the day.
SUDDEN DEATH OF PETE CAMM [16.06.14]
It is with great sadness that we report the death of Animal Lifeline’s Longton shop manager Pete Camm, who has died suddenly, aged only 43. Peter had been with Lifeline for some months and had overseen the setting up of our new premises in Bennett’s Precinct, Longton.
“Pete was a great asset and very popular with staff and customers, and we are devastated by his death”, said Lifeline trustee Cassie Fletcher.
“He was very committed to our charity, worked hard and was innovative, coming up with new ideas, and we will all miss him. Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.”
A special fund has been set up to provide a new rescue kennel in Pete’s memory, and donations can be made at the Longton shop, at the kennels, or via our website (from 18 June 2014). Just click the donate button on the Pete Camm Memorial Fund page.
OPEN DAY GREAT SUCCESS [16.06.14]
Lifeline’s open day and fete at its Cellarhead kennels last weekend ( June 15) was a great success, despite some damp weather. There was still a good attendance, and the total raised from the stalls and catering was £2,055.
Our thanks to everyone who helped with the setting-up of the event and staffing it on the day.
Do you have have any unwanted plastic garden tables or tressle tables of any kind? If so, Animal Lifeline needs them for its forthcoming Garden Fete at the kennels on Sunday June 15th ( 2pm-4pm). We are short of tables for stalls, refreshments etc, so if you have any, please drop them off at the kennels anytime before the event.
Pictured above: Liz and rescue dog Milly with ‘Fibre Fido’ Animal Lifeline’s static canine collector in Hanley.
Animal Lifeline urgently needs more volunteers at its Newcastle charity shop.
to close at 3pm on several days. We also need people who can do morning shifts on certain days.
The shop has a friendly atmosphere and is staffed entirely by volunteers who do a variety of work both in the shop and behind the scenes sorting items.
If you can help, then just call in for an informal chat with manager Barbara Scott or one of the other volunteers. Hours can usually be arranged to suit your own availability. Please note there is a flight of stairs in the shop to access the toilets, kitchen and sorting rooms.
The shop is at 1 Church Street, Newcastle, opposite St Giles Church. It is open 9.30am-3pm Monday to Saturday.
JUST THE TICKET! [01.05.14]
Animal Lifeline is one of two local charities to benefit from a new fund-raising scheme.
National retailers Pets At Home and Support Adoption For Pets have launched a project which aims to raise thousands of pounds for Animal Lifeline and the other charity, Iris’s Cats In Need.
Customer’s at Pets At Home stores in Stoke on Trent – at Festival Park, Longton and Trent Vale – will be able to donate to the scheme by buying a £1 raffle ticket.
Support Adoption For Pets is trying to raise £10 million for charities all over the UK over the next three years. Manager Amy Wilson said: ” Our customers in Stoke on Trent are always very generous ands we hope they will help us achieve our milestone.”
Animal Lifeline trustee Cassie Fletcher said: “Pets At Home have been a great help to us for several years with donations and pet food and we are delighted to be associated with this exciting new project. We hope all our supporters will visit the stores and buy tickets. They may win a prize, and at the same time, help two local charities.”
CHARITY AUCTION RAISES OVER £1,000 [11.04.14]
The next charity auction at the Thistleberry will be in early November – we will post the exact date on our Events page as soon as we know it.
A book signed by Hollywood star Jane Fonda, a signed Stoke City shirt, Royal Doulton items, Charlie bears and James Bond model cars are among 140 items being auctioned next Thursday night (April 10) to raise funds for Stoke on Trent dog rescue charity Animal Lifeline.
Other items include wines and spirits, gifts, jewellery, book, toys and bric-a-brac, all being auctioned at the Thistleberry Hotel in Newcastle. Viewing is from 6.30pm and the auction starts at 7pm.
“All the items have been donated by individual supporters and local businesses and we have a very wide and interesting collection of goods to sell ,” said charity volunteer Cassie Fletcher.” We need to raise funds to help us through a challenging period with so many dogs in our care at the moment. We are hoping the auction will raise around £1,000. We have had great support from local people who have donated the items and now we need to turn those items into cash to help meet the costs of running the kennels.”
The charity, operating locally for 39 years, has rescue kennels at Cellarhead. It says it is swamped with record numbers of unwanted dogs – it already has over 120 in its care and a waiting list for spaces.
HOT DOGS CAN DIE! [15.03.14]
Every year the RSPCA receives around 6,000 calls from members of the public concerned about an animal that has been left in a car on the street, in a supermarket car park or at a public event. And recently, an Animal Lifeline member also had to take action when she saw a dog locked in a car on a sunny day with all the windows closed.
Dogs can die from heatstroke in as little as 20 minutes. In warm, sunny weather cars become ovens and even if it’s cloudy, the temperature inside a car can become dangerously hot for a dog. When it is just 22°C (72°F) outside, the temperature inside a car can soar to 47°C (117°F) or even higher. For this reason, the RSPCA advises that animals are never left inside cars.
Dogs pant to keep cool. In hot stuffy cars dogs can’t cool down – leaving a window open or a sunshield on windscreens won’t keep your car cool enough .
If you see a dog in a car on a warm day, call the Police on 999. This situation is classed as an emergency.
HEATSTROKE – KNOW YOUR FIRST AID TO SAVE THE DOG:
Act quickly, heatstroke can be fatal! If dogs show any signs of heatstroke, move them to a shaded, cool area. Ring your vet immediately. Urgently, gradually lower their body temperature: Immediately douse them with cool (not cold) water, to avoid shock – you could use a shower, or spray and place them in the breeze of a fan.
Let them drink small amounts of cool water.
Continue dousing until their breathing settles – never cool dogs so much that they begin shivering.
Once your dog is cool, immediately go to the vet
LONGTON SHOP MOVE – AN UPDATE [04.03.14]
Animal Lifeline’s new charity shop at 31 Bennett’s Precinct , Longton – just a few doors away from our previous shop in the
precinct, has just completed its first very successful month of trading.
The new location is in a part of the shopping centre with a greater footfall, and we are welcoming many new customers as well as our long-established supporters. The shop (pictured) is awaiting a new signboard which will be fitted shortly. The move involved a lot of hard work and we could not have managed it without fantastic help from a wonderful team of volunteers – our deep gratitude to them all.
The shop always needs a constant supply of donated items, especially bric-a-brac, books, DVDs, unwanted gifts and good clean clothing. You can drop items off during opening hours, and if you have a large quantity to donate, we can usually arrange to collect them from you. Just call us on 07790 079 025.
We also need more volunteers at the shop, for half or full days. It can be for back-room duties, or in the shop itself. There is a friendly atmosphere and training will be given. Just call in for an informal chat, or telephone Peter the manager on 07774 309 738.
NEW KENNELS NOW IN USE [04.03.14]
The first block of seven additional kennels has now been installed at our Serendipity rescue centre at Cellarhead. The kennels are specially built and have thermal insulation, an inspection porthole, a cosy bedroom and an external pen.
These emergency kennels have been funded by donors and we are very grateful to them – their support is directly saving little lives. We are planning to have further kennels of this type installed in the near future, along with other general improvements to the site.
Pictured are the new kennels, and some of the dogs that have already moved in.
DOG SAFETY ADVICE [20.02.14]
We feel the News Release below from the Dog Safety Education Executive makes important points about dog safety in the home:
Another tragic loss…
The 18th February 2014, saw another tragic story unfold before our eyes as six day old Eliza-Mae Mullane died as a result of her injuries inflicted upon her by the family dog – this time by an Alaskan Malamute, who has been described as being gentle with children.
The Dog Safety Education Executive share the distress that the rest of the nation feel about this heartbreaking story and, as parents and fellow dog lovers, extend their greatest of sympathies with the Mullane family.
Regardless of how lovely a dog is and how much we think we can trust them, we can never forget that accidents happen. Babies have an irresistible smell about them to dogs and it’s natural for dogs to want to investigate the smell; toddlers can fall or stand on dogs and if we’re not there to step in when it happens, especially when dogs are asleep, then instinct can take over and an automatic ‘snap’ can follow.
The majority of bites incurred to children are as a result of an accident rather than because of a dog being ‘vicious’, and so DogSEE urge all dog owners that have children in the home to take sensible precautions concerning the management of dog and child. If in any way, you are concerned about the dog, seek professional help immediately.
In the same way we would be mindful of accidents happening with a boiling pan of water on a hob or an open fire, so too we need to be mindful of accidents happening with our much loved pet dogs, and so rather than take a risk, please take the dog (or the child) with you when you leave the room.
We run an array of responsible dog ownership courses and education programmes to keep you safe around dogs – www.dogSEE.org
New Longton Shop Opens 1st February 2014 [10.01.14]
Animal Lifeline is opening a new charity shop in Bennett’s Precinct shopping centre, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent.
The new shop is at Unit 31, just around the corner from its existing shop, and near Gregg’s Bakers. It will officially open on Saturday February 1st at 11am, and from then on will be open 9.30am – 4pm, Monday to Saturday.
Lifeline’s existing Longton charity shop will remain open as usual until Friday January 31st. It will then stay open for two weeks as a discount shop until February 14, open Tues/Wed/Fri/Sat – 10am-3pm.
It will then close and Lifeline will operate only from the new shop at unit 31 in the precinct.
“ We have taken the opportunity to relocate to a busier part of the precinct with a higher footfall,” said Lifeline spokesman Nick Fletcher.
“We will also be having a closing down sale at our existing shop, which will stay open for a further two weeks after our new shop opens, to clear surplus stock. There will be lots of bargains!
The new shop should attract even more customers and we will need lots of extra items to keep it topped up, so if anyone can donate good clean clothing, books, CDs and DVDs, bric-a-brac, jewellery, toys, shoes and handbags, we would really appreciate it. We also need extra volunteers to staff the shop in the future. No experience is necessary and training will be given. We also need help behind the scenes, sorting items. It is a friendly atmosphere and we hope people who can spare a few hours will come forward. They can just call in the shop and have a chat with Peter, the manager.”
ASDA CHRISTMAS GIFT [18.12.13]
A collection at the Asda store at Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent last week raised a total of £143.30. Our thanks to Asda and its staff, and to all customers who contributed. Without such generous public support, we just couldn’t help so many needy dogs.
Thanks also to to our volunteer collectors, Doris, Mike and Gill who gave up their time at a busy period of the year.
Christmas Fayre Exceeds Expectations [09.12.13]
The Animal Lifeline Christmas Fayre on Saturday December 7th at the Orme Centre in Newcastle-under-Lyme raised a total of £1,150, a magnificent effort.
Stalls included gifts, bric-a- brac, toys, books, jewellery, home made cakes, tombola and a raffle. “ We were very pleased with the total, the money will be of a great help to us during the winter period, when heating the kennels and providing additional veterinary care add greatly to our costs,” said Cassie Fletcher, one of Lifeline’s Trustees.
“We are so grateful to everyone who gave up their time and worked so hard to make the event a success.”
WINTER 2013 APPEAL LAUNCHED [23.11.13]
The Winter 2013 Animal Lifeline Appeal was launched today with an advertisement in Stoke-on-Trent’s daily newspaper, The Sentinel. A spokesperson for Animal Lifeline explained that every year with the onset of winter, the charity goes out to the public to raise extra funds at a time when, like humans, winter and cold can have adverse effects on dogs, especially the older ones.
If you would like to make a contribution, no matter how small, click on the 2013 Winter Appeal panels on the right of many pages across this website. Every penny counts just that much more at this time of the year.
Animal Lifeline Auction Raises £1,256 [15.11.13]
The winter 2013 Animal Lifeline auction was held at the Thistleberry Public House in Newcastle-under-Lyme on Thursday evening, 14 November 2013. A good attendance and some brisk bidding for over 100 items produced a very welcome £1,256 for the charity. Auctioneer and Animal Lifeline administrator Nick Fletcher said “It is always wonderful to see people turn out to support us in this way and for them to buy all the items donated to us for this, one of the auctions we hold over the year. We thank them for that and, also, all those who kindly donated the items auctioned.”
The next auction is planned for April 2014, date and location to be confirmed. Keep an eye on our Events pages.
Asda Employee Raises Funds for Animal Lifeline [14.11.13]
Alyson Millward from Asda at Longton (Stoke-on-Trent) raised £112.50 for Animal Lifeline and is pictured presenting a cheque to Lifeline Trustee Cassie Fletcher (right of picture).
