Banbury animal rescue charity still in desperate need of donations

Banbury Animal Rescue & Kindness Service (BARKS) has welcomed the support it has already received for its appeal to meet soaring winter energy bills at their rescue centre in Bodicote. However, they still need urgent help.

The Banbury Guardian covered BARKS plea for help last month, but the charity is still concerned for the animals’ welfare if it cannot find extra funding to spend on heating the animal pens.

Chair of BARKS Ann Collins said: "The article had an immediate positive effect: a major Banbury supermarket called to say they will support us and a handful of people have committed to regular payments. A few £100 donations came straight in, and another kind soul allocated £100 per month for three months into his winter budget.

“It's an emergency, not of our making. We need to raise an extra £5,000 before autumn or we'll have no choice but to turn away some needy cats and kittens because we just can't afford to heat their pens, on top of feeding and treating them. After all the challenges of Covid, this is heart-breaking for us.

“We still desperately need kind individual or local corporate donations by October, and beyond, to see us through to next summer. That's the most important thing, so we can plan ahead.”

The charity has set up two ways of donating:

- JustGiving at justgiving.com/campaign/BARKScostofliving

- Easy fundraising at easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/barks/?

To find out more, contact [email protected], visit the website at www.barks.org.uk or phone on 07518 658357.