Raystede Centre For Animal Welfare
Peter
Lord
Fundraising And Communications Officer
Ringmer, Nr Lewes, East Sussex
http://www.raystede.org
Mission
At Raystede we are passionate about the wellbeing of all animals and are committed to giving them the best possible life. We rescue, rehome and provide sanctuary for more than 1500 animals each year.We have been caring for animals for 60 years but we are always looking to the future, improving our services and facilities as funding permits. As a registered charity we rely entirely on voluntary donations. We are very proud of the professionalism of our staff and volunteers.Raystede is free to visit almost every day of the year and very important to our work is our educational service, used by schools in East Sussex and beyond. We also offer guidance to all ages on caring for animals.Our Sanctuary, with its sizeable lakes, offers a safe haven for visiting waterfowl as well as for our chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese. We also offer a lifelong home for goats, horses, ponies and donkeys which are no longer wanted.
Category
Animal Welfare
Additional Information
Raystede was founded in 1952 by Miss M Raymonde-Hawkins MBE with the aim of preventing and relieving cruelty to animals and to protect them from unnecessary suffering.
Following a successful career in education in Sussex Miss Raymonde-Hawkins purchased the present day site of Raystede in the 1930s. She was always devoted to animal welfare and in the late 1940s decided to provide facilities equal if not better than existing animal charities. In the early days, Raystede operated from her own cottage and adjoining garden.
Over the years more land was purchased and facilities improved, with kennels and a cattery provided to the highest standards but at welfare rates. From the outset what marked Raystede out from other animal charities was its education role – encouraging people to be aware of the needs of animals and their right to respect.
Today Raystede operates over a 43 acre site, with state of the art facilities for all sorts of animals from birds to small animals, dogs and cats to goats and horses. A further defining feature of Raystede now much copied was the first ever animal crematorium - ‘Peaceways’ which opened in 1964.