RSPCA ‘devastated’ by centre flooding
RSPCA workers have been left ‘devastated’ after torrential rain led to flooding in their animal centre.
The small animal room at RSPCA Rochdale was left underwater following a downpour of heavy rain last Monday night (June 15).
The water also flooded the donations storage area, causing damage to lots of items that have had to be thrown away.
In a post on Facebook, workers at the centre said they were ‘devastated’ that this had happened at ‘the most difficult time’.
The branch, on Redcross Street, has already suffered from a loss of income and donations throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
Charity shops were unable to open and this led to income being down ‘by 95 per cent’.
David Canavan, vice chairman at the RSPCA Rochdale branch, said the flood on Monday was a ‘big blow’.
“The torrential rain completely flooded our gutters and damaged the roof ”, David said.
“The rain was so torrential and the water was actually coming through gaps in the wall. It was horrendous.
“We’ve been suffering very badly from the lockdown because we rely on money coming in from the shops.
“We were trying to get the stock ready to reopen and that’s all been ruined now because the donation storage area was flooded and we’ve had to throw a lot away.”
David said all of the electrics have had to be replaced in the centre and the rooms have been cleaned up and dried out.
Many of the volunteers at the branch are elderly so haven’t been coming in during the lockdown, but a small team of ‘fantastic’ staff have been working throughout the entire period.
“Our animal centre has been open throughout”, David said.
“At the minute we can’t have any volunteers going into the building so any donations would be very much appreciated.
“We’re still taking in lots of animals and our money is running very low at the moment so this was a big blow. So many people depend on us.”
Staff at the centre are asking for donations to help them through the difficult time. You can donate on the Just Giving page or via PayPal using the email address rspcarochdale@ btconnect.com.