How a multi-million pound legacy created one of the finest cat and dog rescue centres near Chichester
Four years ago, Chichester’s beloved animal rescue centre Mount Noddy was reborn with a transformation costing more than £4m. Editor At Large Gary Shipton who attended the original opening returned in his capacity as High Sheriff of West Sussex to witness the wonderful work being carried out. This is his view of the visit.
After 50 years of saving dogs and cats and giving them a new, secure future the extraordinary work of Mount Noddy nearly came to an abrupt conclusion a few years ago.
The money had run out.
But a bequest was to change all that.
Thanks to a multi-million pound legacy from a Miss Melvin, Mount Noddy at Eartham became one of the most innovative and pioneering of its kind in the country – if not the world – with facilities that include a hydrotherapy pool for dogs to help rebuild their muscles. It has state of the art kennels and pens.
At the time of its 2022 official opening by President Bruce Fogle I attended in my editorial capacity.
This weekend it was a huge pleasure to return as High Sheriff of West Sussex - accompanied by a former High Sheriff Patrick Burgess and his wife Maggie - to see how Mount Noddy is continuing to stride forward with confidence, love, and quality, making the most of its spotless and spectacular facilities.
We met some of the amazing people who make the centre so special like Kirsty Watling, Operations Manager; Sarah Carden, Senior Behaviourist, and Ethan Williams, Animal Care Assistant.
Their passion is not just to save abandoned and rescued cats and dogs from physical injury. Their behavioural expertise really does enable these animals to find new, loving homes.
Chair of Trustees Nick Cockram and Trustee Paul Marshall welcomed us and gave us a tour of the centre.
In 2022, I quoted Nick telling guests the story of their transformation. “About four years ago Mount Noddy as this place was known was just about done for. It was out of money, it was falling to bits, and there was serious consideration for closing it. But it didn't happen because of some extraordinary acts of kindness, expertise and commitment from people."
In officially opening the new centre, Mr Fogle said: “The biggest pleasure for me is seeing how a community such as this in West Sussex can come together, almost invariably everyone volunteering, to create a space like this. This has been produced by people who volunteer to walk dogs that find themselves here, it's created by people who volunteer to look at spreadsheets and work out how can we cover the cost of this. It's so gratifying.
"There is no government funding for animal welfare for organisations such as this. Those people who leave legacies to the RSPCA are perpetuating the world's oldest animal welfare organisation. But we here in West Sussex don't receive any of that money. We depend totally on what we can raise for ourselves on our own to provide the facilities.
"Just recycling a dog or a cat - rescuing it, rehabilitating it and rehoming it - that sounds easy but by far the most difficult part is reducing the stress that that dog or that cat experiences. What we try to do here is get them straight into a foster home. But we can't do that all the time. So we have the best facilities I think anywhere in the UK to keep stress down to a minimum level. I can't think of any other RSPCA facility that has hydrotherapy for dogs for example that have muscle wasting and need to build up their muscles once more.”
Mount Noddy is a Fear Free certified animal shelter. Its staff are trained in fear free strategies ensuring that the cats and dogs who come into its care have their individual needs met in a manner which promotes their well-being and is respectful of their emotional and physical needs. All handling carried out is positive and reward-based, building confident relationships. They ensure that each cat pen or dog kennel is specially tailored to suit their individual needs, promoting their right to feel safe and comfortable.
Upon arrival at the centre each animal is examined by a vet and assessed by a behaviourist, enabling the centre to identify and meet medical and nutritional needs. Training plans are developed for each individual, using positive and reward-based reinforcement training to help prepare them for their special, forever home.
Mount Noddy and the team of compassionate carers who run it is an extraordinary beacon of animal care. It is a wonderful asset of which we can all be proud.
But it costs more than £900,000 a year to run Mount Noddy Animal Centre and as a separately registered charity, it must raise these funds itself. To help and support their work go to https://rspcasussexwest.org.uk/