Animal welfare charity expands support for animals and pet owners with new Doncaster site
Animal welfare charity expands support for animals and pet owners with new Doncaster site
Rain Rescue, an animal welfare charity based in Rotherham, is opening a new Doncaster site this July, introducing an on-site veterinary facility alongside a café and shop, with further expansion and development planned over the next five years.
This has been made possible through the purchase of an 18-acre site near Doncaster, supported by a six-figure loan from Lloyds. The new site will enable the organisation to significantly expand its rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming operations, extending support beyond cats and dogs to include horses and donkeys, while also helping those who have adopted an animal access to the veterinary support they need.
Previously operating as a livery and equine centre, the new site will house a café and shop, with proceeds supporting the charity’s work and eventually helping to fund the development of a veterinary and behavioural centre.
There are plans to grow the team by 10 overall, hiring five staff initially, followed by a further five as the site is completed, and build the business’ volunteer network by 50% in the South Yorkshire region.
Rain Rescue has operated from a one-acre site in Rotherham since 2002, employing 15 staff as well as 40 volunteers, and its expansion comes at a critical time for animal welfare organisations. Last year, the RSPCA reported record levels of pet abandonment in the UK with 22,503 cases – the highest since the pandemic2.
Rain Rescue also plans to use the new site to expand community support designed to help owners access advice and veterinary care earlier, before issues escalate. The charity already runs a small veterinary service from its Rotherham base, offering low-cost preventative healthcare for animals adopted from Rain Rescue, and intends to build on this model in Doncaster.
Looking ahead, subject to planning approval, CEO Patricia ‘Trisha’ Spargo plans to convert the site’s main barn into a dedicated veterinary and behavioural centre, alongside new accommodation designed around animal wellbeing. The café and shop will also be open to the public, helping to generate ongoing income to support the charity’s work
A soft launch is due in July and will see the veterinary facilities, café and shop open, with further development phases planned. The charity will serve a large region stretching from Scunthorpe and Leeds to Sheffield, including some of the UK's most deprived communities.
Patricia Spargo, CEO at Rain Rescue said: “We've moved beyond using the word 'crisis' in animal welfare, it’s now our new ‘normal’. Every charity has waiting lists and it's often one animal in, one out. This new site gives us the space to do something different, not just rescue and rehome more animals, but prevent them reaching a critical point in the first place.
“By offering things like subsidised vet care, behavioural support and practical help during tough times, we can keep pets with the families who love them and free up space for animals with nowhere else to go.
“Working with Lloyds has been a breath of fresh air. They've been genuinely invested in what we're trying to achieve, not just as a transaction but as a charity trying to make lasting change."