TV presenter Steve Backshall thanked players of People’s Postcode Lottery for raising £400,000 to help treat wildlife at RSPCA centres as well as firing-up local communities to help wild creatures they share their neighbours with.
The generous support comes as the RSPCA celebrates 200-years of changing animals’ lives for the better and will help fund vital work by the charity’s four specialist wildlife rehabilitation centres – RSPCA East Winch in Norfolk, RSPCA West Hatch in Somerset, RSPCA Mallydams Wood in East Sussex and RSPCA Stapeley Grange in Cheshire.
The money will also help expand the RSPCA’s popular Wildlife Friends, a ‘micro-volunteering’ scheme which challenges people and families to take quick action to help wildlife in their local communities.
Steve Backshall, who is also an RSPCA Vice President, said: “Wildlife plays such a huge part in all our lives whether we realise it or not – and it is so important that we all do our bit to help it thrive, especially at the moment.
“I am really excited that money raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery will help the RSPCA carry out their vital work at specialist wildlife rehabilitation centres where teams work every single day of the year giving lifesaving care so that animals can go back to the wild where they belong. Their amazing staff and volunteers rehabilitate wildlife – helping everything from baby birds right up to foxes and seals. They also help to empower – everyone to take the right steps to support the animals around them through schemes like Wildlife Friends too.
“I am so passionate about people taking interest in nature and by becoming an RSPCA Wildlife Friend you’ll be able to take small steps in your everyday life to help nature and wildlife thrive in your local community. Whether that is putting food out for the birds, picking up litter or learning what to do should you find an injured wild animal while out and about – it’s all important and it all helps. It shows that together we can all help to make a difference for all animals.”
Chris Sherwood, Chief Executive of the RSPCA added: “We are thrilled that players of People’s Postcode Lottery have given our work a fantastic boost allowing our specialist teams to continue their amazing work, which includes rehabilitating and releasing wild animals.
“Everybody can take action to help wildlife they share their communities with and we need as many people as possible to join us to build a better world for animals. This funding awarded through Postcode Animal Trust is doing just that by helping to support our work. On top of this, we can all do our bit to take care of wildlife and prevent some of these animals needing help in the first place by becoming a Wildlife Friend and taking small acts of kindness – which can take just moments – to help wildlife we share our neighbourhoods with.
“Wildlife is all around us – from pollinating our food crops and enriching our soil, to boosting our mental wellbeing and providing a food source for larger animals which are critical to our environmental ecosystems. We need our wildlife to thrive – so it’s important we do our bit.
“People can go a step further too, by helping us protect and encourage wildlife by becoming part of our one million movement for animals by becoming a Wildlife Friend and taking simple actions in their own outdoor spaces and in their communities, from taking injured small mammals to a vet or wildlife centre, to creating habitats in their outside space.”
This year the RSPCA celebrates its 200th year of changing industries, laws, minds, and animals’ lives. To mark this anniversary the animal welfare charity wants to inspire one million people to join their movement to improve animals’ lives. Together, there are actions, big and small, everyone can take to create a better world for every animal. To find out your kind of kindness and turn it into action for animals visit: rspca.org.uk/everykind.
