LOCAL charity Raystede opened its 43-acre rescue centre in Ringmer in 1952 and remains committed to help, rehabilitate, rehome and give sanctuary to animals in need.
The charity cares for around 2,000 local animals every year including exotic birds, cats, dogs, rabbits, tortoises, horses, donkeys, goats, terrapins and alpacas, making it one of the UK’s most diverse rescue centres.
Caring for the animals and running the rescue centre is a huge operation, costing £6,500 a day which comes entirely from donations and local community support. As well as Raystede’s 152 employees, there are currently 417 volunteers working tirelessly around the clock on everything from providing animal care to repairs, fundraising and serving visitors in the shop and café.
The day starts at 7am when the centre’s animal care teams arrive on site. The small animals team look after the rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters, cleaning out cages and feeding.
Several of the cats and dogs are up for adoption and spend most of their time in the cattery and kennels. After giving the animals their breakfast, the team take the dogs out for a walk before the centre opens to visitors at 10am to make the most of the quiet open spaces.
The equine team let out any horses that have been in the stables overnight, check on all of them and prepare breakfasts before it’s time for grooming. Some of the donkeys and ponies have lived at Raystede for nearly 30 years, so staff and volunteers build close relationships with the animals. On average, Raystede cares for 420 animals per month, although not all of these are on site.
Each animal has a schedule of activity and as well as feeding and grooming, socialising with the animals is just as important so the team will spend time playing with them and giving them affection. Medical concerns are seen to by Raystede vets, and the centre also works with animal behaviour experts who come in to work through any issues. Many of these animal experts are volunteers.
The in-house estate team does its rounds, repairing general wear and tear and tending to the grounds. With increasingly rising costs, the charity often must ask for extra help. Last winter, for example, the equine shelter blew over during a storm and Raystede had to issue an urgent appeal for funds.
After the morning routines are completed, it’s time for those hoping to adopt an animal to visit their prospective pet. The adoption process starts online with a thorough questionnaire to ensure both the animal and adopter’s needs are met. If you’re a good match with an animal you’re invited to the centre to get to know them. There are several visits where you learn how to care for the animal and spend time with them, taking them for walks, playing with them and introducing them to children and other pets.
The adoption process isn’t always successful. The animal care teams are well-trained in understanding an animal’s behaviour and will instantly spot if they’re unhappy but it’s often the adopter who changes their mind. While an animal may seem a good match online, sometimes adopters realise that they may not be able to cope with owning an animal once they learn what’s involved in their care.
There are full guides to each breed available on Raystede’s website to help people make a considered choice: for example, some dogs such as greyhounds and lurchers need a lot of exercise so having outside space is a must.
Raystede also takes in unwanted animals – in the past year it was asked to rehome 4,665 animals, the highest number ever. Of this, the majority was dogs, followed by cats, then rabbits with the most common reason cited as ‘change of circumstance’.
There are many reasons people may decide to part with their pets from financial to relationship breakdown and bereavement. Often, the animals are well-loved, but the owner is struggling to look after them and it’s an emotional process for the team involved in arranging to take over their care. Like Raystede’s oldest animal, 90-year-old tortoise Megan, some pets simply outlive their owners.
If you’re considering giving up an animal, the team at Raystede advise you contact them as soon as possible so they can offer support.
Raystede staff told us that there’s been a rise in unwanted animals since the Covid pandemic. Many people who got pets at that time weren’t fully aware how to look after them and no facilities were available to help them train their animals.
The cost of living is another main factor contributing to the rise in unwanted pets, as is people not doing enough research before committing to an animal. For example, rabbits are a popular first pet for children but ideally should live in pairs to fully thrive otherwise they become depressed. Plus, children often become bored of caring for an animal, and parents find they don’t have the time.
Unfortunately, Raystede must turn some of these unwanted animals away as it doesn’t have the capacity to care for all of them, especially since adoption numbers are down. If you adopt an animal, you’re actually helping two as it frees up a space for Raystede to take in and care for another animal in need.
You can foster an animal at Raystede, providing a break for a cat, dog or one of the smaller animals and enjoying the benefits of a pet without the commitment. Raystede provides fosterers with everything they need from food to poo bags.
Sponsorship of animals is also available, where you receive regular updates and can visit your animal to see how they’re getting on.
Last year Raystede had 64,000 visitors, coming to find out more about what the charity does, walk around the vast grounds, visit the shop, café and play area. So, there’s a lot going on throughout the day. The site is open all year round, with its busiest period in the school summer holidays. It’s closed to the public on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, but workers are still on site caring for the animals.
Visiting Raystede is free, but it’s advised you book tickets online, especially during busy periods, so the centre can manage numbers and look after the welfare of the animals.
At 7pm the evening shift workers arrive to give the animals their dinner and make them comfortable for the night. Teams start the shut down routines, leaving out any update notes for the morning shift workers who will arrive again at 7am.
But while it’s always a busy day at the centre, Raystede’s work continues out in the community. It has five shops aside from the rescue centre’s one: in Hailsham, Langney Shopping Centre in Eastbourne, Lewes, Uckfield and recently opened Haywards Heath.
The team hold pop-ups where the public can come along and ask for advice about their pets or find out information about adopting a new one. They also visit schools to educate children about animal welfare and hold family education days at the centre.
Raising awareness is key to Raystede’s work: the more people understand about animal welfare and what goes in to looking after a pet, the less likely it is for people to end up in a situation where they need to give them up.
Article published in Eastbourne News Free Community Newspaper.
