AN ANIMAL welfare charity can now fund two long overdue projects at their Dorset rehoming centre thanks to support from two businesses and a national charity.

Margaret Green Animal Rescue received grants from Animal Friends Pet Insurance, the National Lottery and Petplan following successful grant applications.

The charity was successfully awarded by all three with the donations totalling £53,000, enabling important projects to go ahead at the charity’s Church Knowle Rehoming and Visitor Centre.

The first project aims to enhance the lives of the rescue horses by improving the condition of the Sand School by revamping and upgrading it.

A lot of work is required for this project to go ahead, including stripping back, new drainage installed, levelling out and then having the top surface relaid.

Improving the facilities of the Sand School is vital for the charity as it is used for rehabilitation, lead training and to help the rescue horses who have had minimal handling and need plenty of one to one interaction before they can be considered for potential rehoming.

The second project is to replace and build a cabin that has been in a state of disrepair for almost two years.

The cabin is a space that enables the charity to support all groups coming to the centre, including volunteers, visitors, SEN groups and rehomers.

Not having a suitable facility to carry out this level of support has restricted their efforts to help, engage and educate the wider community.

The charity has plans to create a multi-functional space so the cabin can be used to reach out to all walks of life, raise awareness, offer support and further support the community, which in turn means they can continue to support the animals in their care.

Fundraising and Marketing Manager for Margaret Green Animal Rescue, Jazmin House said: "We started prepping for these projects just as lockdown was announced and we are looking forward to being able to start them back up soon. The funding received from The National Lottery, Animal Friends Pet Insurance and Petplan means that we are able to fund two projects that will hugely benefit the animals in our care and the community."