Chichester's Mount Noddy: This is how the city's political leaders showed their support for amazing £4m transformation of centre to rescue dogs and cats

The RSPCA’s Mount Noddy animal rescue centre at Eartham has been transformed to provide state of the art care for abandoned animals – and the amazing improvements were unveiled on July 2, 2022, by president Bruce Fogle.

Guests at the opening event included the MP for Chichester Gillian Keegan, the leader of West Sussex County Council Paul Marshall who is also a trustee of the charity, and the leader of Chichester District Council Eileen Lintill. They were hugely impressed by the new facilities.

Mr Marshall spoke of the terrific improvements that had been made. “This is pioneering and innovative. We have upgraded all the pens for cats and dogs to the highest standard. The hydrotherapy pool helps to rejuvenate their muscles and is absolutely critical.

"I have been a trustee for getting on for five years. We have been very fortunate to be able to invest in this new centre.

“All the money required to run this centre has to be raised locally. More importantly we have five charity shops in and around the area and it is the profit from those shops that pays for this centre to be run.”

Mrs Keegan said: "It's fantastic. I came here in March 2019 just before lockdown – and they have done all this since then. During one of the most difficult times they have raised the money, they have built the new centre here. The hydrotherapy pool is a real highlight of the tour. It is amazing what the community has done here to ensure we take care of animals particularly those in distress. What I have just been hearing about is actually those whose owners go into care and as social care minister that's something I hadn't really been thinking about - what happens to animals when people potentially have a change in situation when they are older."

In opening the 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.”