VIDEO: Take a look behind the scenes at Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare in Sussex

Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare was founded by the late Miss M Raymonde-Hawkins in 1952 and, today, helps about 1,200 animals every single year.

Starting out as just a little cottage on The Broyle, in Ringmer, Lewes, the animal rescue centre has now grown into a 42-acre site and is continuing to carry out its founder’s ‘amazing legacy to help lots of animals’.

The animals in Raystede’s care are quite diverse. Currently, the centre is caring for species including dogs, cats, and small animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters, as well as exotic birds, fowl, tortoises, horses and goats.

Larger animals that are elderly or require specialist care and medication live at the centre permanently, and will be supported by the rescue for the rest of their lives – though most of the charity’s residents arrive with the hope of finding their ‘forever home’ one day soon.

With this massive life-saving operation constantly running, it costs £6,000 a day to run the rescue, and Raystede relies exclusively on the generosity of the public.

It thankfully has many supporters who donate and fundraise for the rescue – whether that’s through running marathons, cake sales or even skydiving – but the charity is currently seeing more requests for help than ever.

The cost-of-living crisis, combined with the pet ownership boom during lockdown, has resulted in Raystede receiving more than 3,800 requests to take in animals whose owners can no longer care for them. This is worsened by the fact that fewer people are in the position to adopt, so animals are staying at Raystede much longer than they would have done pre-pandemic.

This is why it’s so important to Raystede that the team continues to urge the public to adopt, rather than buy, if they are looking to welcome a new pet into their home.

Rachel Simm, marketing and communications manager at Raystede, said: “What we’d like to encourage people to do is please, please do think about adopting a rescue pet, if you’ve got the means to do so and can keep them for their whole life and give them a loving home.”

Rehoming manager Miriam Battye added: “We say when you adopt an animal, you’re helping the animal you’re taking on but you’re also opening a space for the next one coming in.”

All animals from Raystede are vet-checked, neutered and vaccinated, and come with four-weeks free pet insurance.

The Raystede team are also particularly passionate about teaching pet care and animal welfare.

The centre is regularly host to adoption information mornings, guided tours and family learning days, which are taking place throughout the Easter holidays, and visitors are welcome every day from 10am – 4pm.

Entry to the animal rescue centre is free but there are many ways you can support the charity during your visit, such as by visiting the on-site, dog-friendly cafe or by making a purchase at the dedicated charity shop.

For more information, visit: www.raystede.org, or watch our exclusive TV show about the charity to find out more about what happens behind-the-scenes.

You can also find out more about the dogs available for rehoming at Raystede here.

Raystede is situated at The Broyle, Ringmer, Lewes, BN8 5AJ.