Issue 39 Oct 2014

RSPCA Little Valley Animal Shelter, Black Hat Lane, Bakers Hill, Exeter EX2 9TA Tel: 01392 439898 www.rspca-littlevalley.org.uk

If you have enjoyed reading this newsletter, please pass it on to friends and family who may also be interested in the work we do. If you would like to help save us printing and postage costs, please consider having your newsletter sent via email. Please contact us on info@rspca-littlevalley.org.uk.

Unusual Shelter

Residents—Pigwig,

Oinkoink and Doodah—

see inside for details

2

Shelter News By Jo Evans, Shelter Manager

I’m si�ng in my office on a very wet morning thinking of the poor staff out with the animals

whilst I’m in the dry. But don’t worry, I will be out there later training with them as the good

news is that we are fully staffed again! You can read about all that in staff changes.

As well as busy ge�ng staff up to speed, we have been rushed off our feet on the rehoming

front with lots of long-staying residents going home. It’s great to think they are in a new

home in $me for Christmas.

You may have no$ced our cover stars—our three mixed breed pigs—who have really se(led

down here, but they are looking for a permanent home with a secure field and a shelter

where they can be allowed to do what pigs do best—dig!

This newsle(er is always looking for stories and new ideas to feature—please let us have

your sugges$ons by email to info@rspca-li levalley.org.uk.

I hope to see lots of you at the Xmas Fair on Saturday 29 November. Thank you all for your

con$nued support during 2014 and I hope you all have a Merry Xmas and a Happy New

Year.

LITTLE VALLEY ANIMAL SHELTER

RSPCA South, East & West Devon Branch

Black Hat Lane, Bakers Hill, Exeter, EX2 9TA

Registered Charity No: 205154

Telephone: 01392 439898

Email: info@rspca-li(levalley.org.uk

Website: rspca-li(levalley.org.uk

Facebook: facebook.com/rspcali(levalley

Twi er: twi(er.com/rspcaexeter

Just Giving: justgiving.com/rspcaexeter

Shelter Opening Times

Open 6 days a week (closed Wednesdays)

11.00am-4.00pm

Last entry: 3.30pm

24 hour Cruelty and Advice Line:

0300 1234 999

SHOPS

129 Reddenhill Rd, Babbacombe TQ1 3NT

Tel: 01803 323841

1 Market Street, Brixham TQ5 8EU

Tel: 01803 859695

46 High Street, Budleigh EX9 6LJ

Tel: 01395 442349

31 Cowick Street, Exeter EX4 1AL

Tel: 01392 213847

27 Paris Street, Exeter EX1 2JB

Tel: 01392 494759

91 South Street, Exeter EX1 1EN

Tel: 01392 494113

49 Courtenay St, Newton Abbot TQ12 2QN

Tel: 01626 330716

10 Torquay Road, Paignton TQ3 3AB

Tel: 01803 528118

Brutus Centre, Totnes TQ9 5RW

Tel: 01803 866597

Our shops now have GiN Aid. So when you’re next in dona$ng items,

please sign up to the GiN Aid scheme so that we can claim even more

back. Thank you!

3

Maintenance

There are always a million and one jobs to do here at the Shelter to keep it

running—pain$ng, fixing, gardening etc. Our maintenance team are always at full

stretch, so we're looking for people who are keen to do a few regular hours each

week to help out. Some maintenance experience would be helpful—the more

experience you can offer us the be(er! The work will be varied and you will quickly

become an invaluable part of the team here.

Cleaning/Working With Animals

We are looking for volunteers to help with cleaning and care for the animals who

can give us a regular commitment, be reliable and have a passion for animals. We

have the following volunteer vacancies:

Cat Pen Cleaners—9-11am on Monday, Thursday or Friday

Rabbit/Rodent/Ferret Pen Cleaners—9-11am on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday,

Friday, Saturday or Sunday

To apply, please look on our website: www.rspca-li(levalley.org.uk

Home Visitors

We need volunteer Home Visitors in all areas—from Sidmouth in the east,

Okehampton in the west, Cullompton in the north and Kingsbridge in the south—

and all points inbetween. If you have a bit of spare $me and would be able to carry

out home checks for us before animals are adopted, we'd love to hear from you.

Please email your details to Sue on hvcr1@rspca.org.uk.

Sorry, but we are unable to take volunteers under the age of 16 due to insurance.

Staff Changes Rachel Sirdefield has joined us from Blue Cross as Deputy Manager. Megan Vickers

and Kerry Dustan are welcome addi$ons to the Dog Team. Adam Harris, who was

our weekend staff member, has now joined the Cat Team full $me—along with new

staff member Lisa Headon. Sadly, Bronwen Hill from the Cat Team has leN us—good

luck Bronwen! Welcome to all new staff members—we hope you’ll enjoy working

with us at Li(le Valley.

4

Lucky Black Cats at Last! Great news on the black cats we featured in our special report in the last

newsle(er—many of our long-staying black cat residents have now been rehomed

and Bunty, Prunella and

longest-staying Steve are

on reserve. Only Misty

and Jeremy are s$ll

wai$ng for new homes

from the black cat gang

in our last newsle(er—

and there are always

more coming in every

day.

Misty Jeremy

Exmouth Sponsored Beach Dog Walk On Sunday 5 October the

Exmouth Group held their

annual sponsored dog walk. This

year we decided to arrange the

walk to coincide with the first

weekend that dogs are allowed

on the beach. The weather was

very kind to us and the sun

shone all morning. The number

of walkers was small, but we did

not let that deter us and we set

off in high spirits. Everyone

enjoyed the walk and all

finished—$red but happy. ANerwards we went into the Harbour View Café for a

well earned meal. The event raised about £1,500 for Li(le Valley, all of which is

thanks to our walkers and their sponsors—and not forge�ng the volunteers who

manned the registra$on and checkpoints. Next year let’s try to make it an even

bigger success with more walkers taking part. Thank you to everyone involved. The

picture above shows a few of the walkers and their dogs at the end of the walk.

If you would like to organise a sponsored walk for us, please get in touch on 01392

439898 or email info@rspca-li levalley.org.uk.

5

Friends of Little Valley By Jill Brush, Membership Secretary

The autumn is now upon us but what a good summer we had. I, for one, thoroughly

enjoyed it. Since we had to cancel Shelter Day this year, we missed out on much

needed funds from our summer raffle. I know how generous you are and am there-

fore relying on you to come up trumps with our Christmas Fair raffle, hopefully to

compensate slightly for the loss. The individual $cket price has been increased from

50p to £1 as this will be our only raffle of 2014—a one-off change unless we find

ourselves in the same situa$on another $me. I am sure you will appreciate our po-

si$on.

I enjoy my role as Hon. Membership Secretary, therefore if any one of you have a

ques$on or would like to speak to me on any subject rela$ng to the Friends, feel

free to contact me on 01392 661424 or email phillandjillb@aol.com.

Five Little Girls By Jill Brush

One fine day in July Tilly, Romy

and Jasper Popham, together

with their friends Zoe Harper

and Nell Jones, set up a stall in

their car parking space in

Broadway, Exeter to raise

money for Li(le Valley. They

had collected blackberries and

redcurrants from their gar-

dens, which had been placed

in small pots for sale. There

was a Name The Bear game,

with two treasured Popham

bears sacrificed for prizes. Many items had been donated by all of them for sale. It

was a delighWul gesture which brought a tear to my eye when I realised what was

going on and went out to join them. They kept at it for four hours, even though

there was very li(le passing trade, and raised a total of £6.60 which they proudly

handed over to me for the Shelter. Well done girls—Li(le Valley is proud of you and

truly values the effort you made for the animals.

6

Great Gifts! We have some great items for sale—check out our Li(le Valley postcards, for sale

in the Shelter at just 25p each and featuring animals who have spent $me with us

at Li(le Valley before being rehomed. A colourful bargain!

We also have some

fabulous Li(le Valley

wristbands for sale—just

£1 each! You can show

your support for us on

your wrist with this

fashionable item. On

sale at the Shelter and in

all of our charity shops.

Thank You John Lewis As part of the John Lewis

Community Ma(ers scheme, we

received a cheque for a whopping

£750 from their customers! Thank

you John Lewis—what a wonderful

surprise! The photo shows

representa$ves from John Lewis

Exeter with Shelter Manager, Jo,

and Branch Administrator, Maria.

7

Giveacar raises money for UK chari=es

by scrapping and selling old cars. They

provide a na=onwide FREE service

which:

- Arranges the collec=on of the vehicle

from your home;

- Depending on its age and condi=on,

recycles it at an authorised facility or

sends it to auc=on.

To arrange dona=on of a car visit

www.giveacar.co.uk or call 020 7736

4242, quo=ng “RSPCA Li le Valley

Animal Shelter” as your chosen charity.

Please consider sponsoring a dog kennel, cat

pen or rabbit run for as li le as £3 a month

through our Safe Haven scheme. An applica-

=on form can be found on our website.

If you shop online, please use

Easyfundraising to help us raise even

more money. Lots of well known

retailers are on there and it’s free to

register. Sign up at:

www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/

rspcali levalley Join the Pets at Home VIP Club to get great

discounts. Select your home store as Exeter,

Exmouth, Torquay or Newton Abbot and you

can opt for Li le Valley as your chosen charity

so we can receive benefits as you shop!

Register at: h p://vip.petsathome.com

A legacy to us will provide crucial funds. We

could not carry on our work without such gener-

ous support. Please visit our website to find out

more about leaving a legacy to us.

We have three wishlists — one for dogs, one for cats and

the other for small animals. They list lots of items that our

animals really like, such as treats and toys. You will need an

Amazon account to do this but it’s really easy to set up and

it’s free. Go to www.amazon.co.uk. Log into your Amazon account and type into the search

box “RSPCA Li(le Valley Wishlist” and our wishlists will come up! It’s a great way to help us

out and all the animals in our care will be very grateful! And don’t forget to claim for your

purchases using Easyfundraising, as we can raise even more money that way!

8

Happy Endings!

Abby Bruno

Giles

Pippie

Buddy

Douglas

Penny (was Prinny)

Pogo & Monty (was Dante)

9

New Homes Required! Great news on our appeals from the last edi$on—dogs Toby, He(y and Mickey

have all gone to new homes. Elisha the cat is on reserve (fingers crossed) and Abby

has found a new family—she is being spoilt ro(en (see Happy Endings). Sadly,

beau$ful Celine is s$ll with us, pa$ently wai$ng for her forever home! We s$ll have

quite a few gerbils here and the pigs are s$ll with us—our cover stars this $me.

Murphy the rabbit has found a new home but Richard the rabbit is s$ll with us,

though he’s actually called Henrie(a—a mistake on the part of the editor of this

newsle(er—oops! Sorry Henrie(a for changing your sex and name! All animals for

adop$on are on our website: www.rspca-li levalley.org.uk.

Atilla Henry

Ilka

Lyra

Pip

Kimiko

Zany Waffle Violet

10

Budleigh Bargains Looking for a bargain in Budleigh Salterton? Then visit the Li(le Valley shop—it

might have just what you are looking for! Small—it certainly is; glitzy and

upmarket—it certainly is not. But you can be assured of a warm, friendly welcome

from the all-volunteer staff who work there. In fact, all those who freely give their

services to the shop are the same folk who raise funds at the various Exmouth

events throughout the year, so they are doubly commi(ed to Li(le Valley.

The shop opened just over 20 years ago and, up un$l now, has been very successful

and well supported by locals and

visitors alike. Over the years it has

become more of a community

'drop-in centre' with our customers

not only making purchases but

telling us stories, both happy and

sad, about the pets they have

adopted, asking ques$ons about

the Shelter and making dona$ons—

either financial or as goods that we

can sell. Sadly, 2014 has been a bit

of a let-down. Visitor numbers to

Budleigh have fallen away and,

coupled with that, three other charity shops have opened in the High Street,

reducing the quan$ty of donated goods to our shop and thus affec$ng our income.

Are we downhearted? No, we are not! Things can only get be(er and, with your

support, they will. Quality dona$ons of clothing and bric-a-brac etc are always

gratefully received. Charity shops are recycling at its best and remember: "One

man's trash is another man's treasure". So, next $me you are about to throw

something out, please think of us. We even get money from a 'rag-man' for items

we cannot sell. Also, if you have just a few hours to spare during the week, your

services would be warmly welcomed. We are always looking for commi(ed

volunteers to join our happy group and to help in the shop or the storeroom. No

previous experience is necessary—simple training and guidance will be provided. So

do pop in the next $me you are in Budleigh Salterton—we are open from 10am

un$l 4pm and look forward to seeing you.

46 High Street, Budleigh EX9 6LJ—opposite “The Feathers” pub

Tel: 01395 442349

Open 10am to 4pm Monday to Saturday

11

Staff Focus We thought you might be interested to meet some of the staff that work here.

My name is Sara Minter and I am part of the cat team here at

Li(le Valley. I am the longest serving Animal Care Assistant here

as I’ve been here 15 years! I started here on an NVQ, then

volunteered before ge�ng a full $me job. I specialise in the

more nervous, $mid cats. Giles, whose picture is in the Happy

Endings sec$on of this newsle(er, was one of my projects. He

came in as a semi-feral, having been living rough for a long $me.

I spent lots of $me with him gaining his trust with the help of

food. Seeing him happy and se(led in his new home is very

rewarding. I am also a rat fan and like to keep pet rats! The cat

in the photo with me is the adorable Naomi, who is s$ll wai$ng for her forever home.

My name is Anna James and I work as an Animal Care Assistant

with the miscellaneous animals. I joined Li(le Valley in June 2010

aNer leaving a career in IT to retrain in animal care. I love the

variety of the animals we get in the miscellaneous sec$on—I’ve had

a raccoon dog, numerous snakes and lizards and even a praying

man$s! This year we have had a new miscellaneous unit built and I

was involved in the design of it. It is luxurious compared to the old

one and all the animals love it, especially the ferrets. They go crazy

when they are let out of their pens in the morning while I clean—

they oNen run off with the dustpan or brush or both! I’m oNen

asked how I can resist taking all the animals home, the truth is I can’t—I have a houseful of

former Li(le Valley residents—8 ferrets! Hence why I am oNen referred to as “the ferret

lady”. The ferret in the picture with me is Mokey, our longest staying ferret. She is a great

ambassador for ferrets as she is cuddly and affec$onate.

My name is Paul Tercel and I am the Maintenance Supervisor. I

have been at Li(le Valley for just over 12 years and, along with

a broad range of du$es and responsibili$es, I have been lucky

enough to be involved in some very exci$ng projects. These

include: the dog behavioural chalet, the new staff cloakroom

(created from two unused dog kennels) and the refurbishment

of the animal kitchen, now a picture of easy-clean hygiene. The

biggest project for the Shelter has been the construc$on of the

new ca(eries and the altera$on of the old ca(ery into what

has now become the rehoming rabbit warren. We also have a

dedicated rodent building and new ferret enclosures, all made out of washable “space age”

recycled plas$c.

12

Canine Remedial Massage A complementary therapy which uses the manipulation of soft tissue to promote the physiological and psycho-logical well-being of dogs — regardless of age, size or breed. Veterinary consent is required prior to treatment.

For further information or to request a consent form, contact Linda Rogers ITEC Dip ICAT Tel: 07732 688383. Email: linda@handsandhounds.co.uk

Events 2014

Friday 31 October – Children’s Haunted Garden, Exeter

Time: 6.15pm to 8pm

Venue: 23 High Meadows, Exeter EX4 1RL (on-street parking available, bus

route P)

Tickets: £3 each including refreshments

Details: Tickets available from Cowick Street, Paris Street and South Street

shops in Exeter

Saturday 15 November – Christmas Fayre, Exmouth

Time: 10am to 12 noon

Venue: All Saints Church Hall, 2 Church Road, Exmouth EX8 1RZ

Details: Contact Dave Phillips on 01395 278604

Saturday 22 November – Animal Aid Christmas Without Cruelty Fair

Time: 10am to 4.15pm

Venue: Exeter Corn Exchange, Market Street, Exeter EX1 1BW

Saturday 29 November – Christmas Fair, Clyst St Mary

Time: 2pm to 4pm

Venue: Clyst St Mary Village Hall, Clyst St Mary, Exeter EX5 1BG

June 2015 – Shelter Day

Date to follow—please keep your diary free!

Please support our events, they raise vital funds for us. If you can volunteer at

any events, please let us know. We are always looking for people to a end

events for us and run a stall, or to organise their own event to fundraise for

us—can you help? We look forward to seeing you at an event soon.

13

Please tear out and display this poster if you can—contact us if you would like more

14

Sarah Moss MCFHP MAFHP Foot Health Professional

Exmouth-based foot health profession-al caring for your feet in the comfort of

your own home, residential home, nursing home or hospital.

Call 01395 269300 or 07765 671941

THE FAMILY MASSAGE CENTRE Established 1994

Annie Samuels (Hons.) −−−− a holis=c approach to health care and diet

Deep $ssue massage, sports injury therapy, Hopi ear candle

treatment, aromatherapy

1 hour to 3 hour treatments from £30 to £70

Available 7 days a week (9.30am to 5.30pm) by appointment

only

GiN vouchers available for cash or cheque only

7 Piazza Terracina (river basin), Haven Road, Exeter EX2 8GT

Tel: 01392 203182 (answerphone)

Email: annie.samuels@yahoo.co.uk

15

CHRISTMAS FAIR Our annual Christmas Fair is nearly upon us—Saturday 29 November from 2pm to

4pm at Clyst St Mary Village Hall. You will find a poster for this event on the back of

this newsle(er—please feel free to tear it off and display it somewhere.

The Christmas Fair is always a fun event and very well supported, but we could do

with more helpers on the day to run stalls and just generally help out.

We are always looking for items to sell at the Christmas

Fair, so if you have anything you think we could sell,

please drop it in at the Shelter beforehand.

We also need some help from all of you home bakers out

there—could you bake a cake or two for us to sell at the

event? Our cake stalls are legendary and always sell out

very fast. If you’re not careful, you can be caught up in the

cake stampede when the doors open—that’s how popular

our cake stall is! All cake dona$ons are most welcome.

They can either be dropped into the Shelter the day before or the morning of the

Fair, or brought along directly to Clyst St Mary Village Hall at 2pm.

If anyone has a bright idea for a stall or a game at the event, then please let us

know.

At the Christmas Fair we will have RSPCA logo’d items for sale

as well as our own Li(le Valley items such as postcards,

wristbands, bags for life etc.

As you know from Jill Brush’s piece in this newsle(er, we are

enclosing draw $ckets which will be drawn at the Christmas

Fair. The price of these has been increased this year from 50p

a $cket to £1. This is because we missed out on a lot of

fundraising revenue by having to cancel Shelter Day this

summer. It was very disappoin$ng, so we have increased the

price of this set of draw $ckets to hopefully compensate a

li(le bit. Draw $ckets are also on sale at the Shelter Recep$on

and in all of our charity shops. Do please support us if you

can—every penny raised from the draw and events such as

this go straight back into running the Shelter and looking aNer

the animals in our care.

We look forward to seeing you at the Christmas Fair on

Saturday 29 November.

If you think you can help at all, please call Maria on 01392 690282 or email her on

mkouts@rspca-li levalley.org.uk.

16

Please tear out and display this poster if you can—contact us if you would like more