In the next few days a Wirral animal shelter will be forced to leave its current home and is urging businesses to back a £500,000 appeal to build a new home. Tony McDonough reports

People behind a Wirral animal rescue service are racing against time to ensure dozens of its furry friends will have somewhere to stay before its current shelter is closed down.

LBN reported in May how Celandine Wood Animal Rescue (CWAR) was being forced to quit its current premises in Heswall because the land is to be sold. The landlord has offered the rescue another area of land to rent, but there’s no fencing or buildings on it.

CWAR will finally leave the premises on June 23 and it has had to make arrangements for some 50 dogs as well as cats and other wildlife to make sure they are not homeless. This has seen volunteers build kennels in their own gardens.

Vet Dr Sharon Williams, who founded CWAR in 2023, has launched an appeal to raise £500,000 for a new permanent home. Around £50,000 has been raised so far but Dr Williams is reluctant to use that cash for temporary accommodation.

Now she is issuing a fresh appeal to businesses to support the fundraising efforts. She has called on firms to donate or take advantage of its sponsorship opportunities. She also hopes that employers will hold their own fundraising events.

“We have been using makeshift kennels in a barn that a kind landowner allowed us to use free of charge,” said Dr Williams. “This has enabled us to save the lives of many animals

“But now CWAR is in crisis. Our volunteers are working hard to save the rescue and build it into something much bigger to help with the huge number of animals being dumped in Merseyside and beyond.

“We need our own land to build a purpose-built facility to create a sanctuary space for the dogs that can’t be rehomed and to make sure we always have a secure base so we can carry on with our rescue work.

“We’ve been amazed by people’s generosity and have raised around £50,000 in just a few weeks. But there’s a long way to go.

“CWAR is run entirely by volunteers. We’re a small team and can’t raise the amount of funds we need by ourselves.”

CWAR is asking for ‘corporate heroes’ to donate £500 and they will get acknowledgement by being featured in a press release sent to the media; thanked on social media; and a certificate of support to display in the workplace.

People can download a poster that contains a QR code for donations and a bucket label here. The rescue’s GoFundMe appeal can be found here. CWAR’s bank details are sort code 309950 and account number 28376962.