A restored railway station in the Lake District has chosen Eden Animal Rescue as their ‘Charity of the Month’, to help raise funds to finance new kennels.
Bassenthwaite Lake Station café, off the A66 near Cockermouth, raises money for chosen charities through a book sale, in the building which was once the working station on the Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith railway line.
Owners Simon and Diana Parums, who began the renovation of the building when they bought the site in April 2019, will be donating all the funds raised from all their book sales in November to the animal charity based at Moorlands Head Farm in Newbiggin, near Penrith. The café, situated in a native woodland with nature walks and bird hide, if also a dog friendly venue.
The charity has a target of £500,000 to raise to fund the new kennels which will home 20 dog between arriving at the centre and getting a new home. This year, so far the charity has rehomed 52 dogs however, not all can find a new family quickly, and the new kennels will house those who aren’t as lucky as Reef who is helping launch the fundraiser.
Puppy Reef was brought to Eden Animal Rescue when he was 13 weeks old by a local vet, his owners had signed him over because they couldn’t cope with him.
Now four-and-a-half months old, he has been adopted by the charity’s Animal Care Manager, Vick Broughton.
Vicki said: “Not all our dogs can find new loving owners. I wasn’t intending to take Reef, even though my two old dogs had died earlier this year. I was looking for a dog with whom I could do obedience training and Reef was initially extremely nervous with anything new.
“However, with a lot of help from our trainer here, Jen Cartmel of Clever Dogs Dog Training, he was soon socialising well with other dogs and people, and he picked up the training very quickly. And by then after fostering him for two weeks he’d wormed his way into my affections and I decided to adopt him.
“He is three-quarters German Shepherd and we don’t know what the other quarter is, but he is very intelligent, and has a wonderful personality.
“The funds raised from the book sale throughout November at Bassenthwaite Lake Station Café will help all the other dogs that aren’t as lucky as Reef.”
Chair of Eden Animal Rescue, Chris Cheetham said: “We are very grateful to Bassenthwaite Lake Station Café for choosing our new kennel block fund as their charity for November.
“As building material prices have risen, so has the cost of building our new kennels. However, we need the building for the dogs in our care. We have now started work to prepare the site.
“Every penny helps towards funding this major work which will secure the future for our dogs for many years to come.
“The new kennels will provide the dogs with an inside and outside area, and as well as the kennels for 20 dogs in our care, will also provide four additional kennels which can be used by dogs arriving before their vet check and as a medical isolation unit.
“We are hoping the building will be completed by September next year, and we also need to keep our fundraising going to raise the £500,000 needed to complete the project.”
More information about the new kennel block and ways to donate are available on the Eden Animal Rescue website www.edenanimalrescue.org.uk
