Banbury animal rescue charity makes final appeal for winter funding

A Banbury animal rescue and rehoming charity has made a final appeal to the public for donations to manage its winter fuel bills.

Banbury Animal Kindness Service (BARKS) still needs to close a £1,500 funding gap to afford the soaring winter fuel bills in its rescue centre pens.

Since the charity launched its winter heating special appeal in August, BARKS has raised almost £3500 from local corporate and individual donations.

BARKS chair Ann Collins said: “The response has been very heartening and we’re very grateful. Our JustGiving tally is heading for £700, a Waitrose donation was £600, Barratt Homes gave us £1,500 and we’ve received another £500 in donations. We’ve also had hundreds of pounds in food donations.

Chair of BARKS Ann Collins says the winter is looking more bearable for dozens of needy animals after generous support but to ensure all of the animals will be looked after they still need to raise an extra £1,500.

“We haven’t closed any pens yet, but it’s still possible, as we can’t be sure we’ll be able to afford the heating bills to keep them all going. So, it’s not too late for people to contact us and donate – every amount we get makes a difference”

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Alongside the winter heating bill fundraiser, BARKS have also relaunched its annual recycling scheme ahead of people’s Christmas clear-out of old gadgets and games.

They will raise funds by recycling unwanted jewellery, watches, postage stamps, mobile phones, MP3 players, cameras, tablet computers and sat navs.

Ann said: “They don’t have to be in working condition. If broken, we can get money for them as scrap. If they work, we can refurbish and upcycle them and sell them on to people who otherwise couldn’t afford to buy new ones. Everyone wins.”

To help BARKS with donations of money or recyclables, contact Ann at [email protected] or phone on 07518 658357.