A Bridlington branch of a national charity has celebrated its diamond anniversary during December.
The local branch of the Bridlington & Driffield RSPCA was officially 60 years old on the 12th of December and have come a long way since their very humble beginning in 1963.
Over the last six decades there have been four charity shops in the town – each one bigger and better than the one before.
Their first shop was opened in February 1992 on New Burlington Road, where the premises were initially kept for storage purposes before the second shop was opened on Quay Road in the summer of 1994.
At the end of 1998 a lease was signed for the bigger shop on Quay Road and the branch stayed there until the COVID outbreak in March 2020.
Due to the size of this shop it wasn’t thought feasible to re-open it and the Bridlington Branch was without a shop for almost two years until the latest much bigger shop on Prospect Street was opened in January 2022.
In 2011 the Branch opened its own state-of-the-art cattery after thirteen years of fundraising. The funds were raised from a Buy a Brick Appeal, legacies and a wonderful team of volunteers who held and attended many fundraising events specifically to help fund the cattery project.
A spokesperson for the group explained: “Over the last sixty years we have cared for and found new loving homes for thousands of unwanted, abandoned and abused animals and over the years the number of animals needing our help has risen dramatically, no more so than the present day when the number of animals in our care is greater than ever before.
“Thanks to a legacy from two supporters we are now taking the first steps into the possibility of building more facilities to help with the ever increasing number of animals needing care at another site.
“Over the years the local RSPCA have had so many dedicated volunteers who have undertaken a wide variety of roles to help. Not all of these are hands-on with animals but they are still a vital part of our organisation.” added the spokesperson.
The branch is always looking for new volunteers to help in the different aspects of helping animals in their care, particularly with fundraising as the costs of looking after animals has risen dramatically over the years, particularly since COVID.
The local RSPCA says it is extremely proud of what it has achieved over the last sixty years and are looking forward to many more successful years ahead with even greater achievements to help animals in need.
For further information, please call in at the shop on 29 Prospect Street in Bridlington. 01262- 229030 (general enquiries).
