An animal rescue charity is preparing to build a new wildlife hospital for the north-east after reaching its fundraising goal of £30,000.
The New Arc in Ellon has been working on the initiative to develop its very own animal treatment centre for more than a year.
And this weekend, thanks to a £1,017 donation by a landscaping company, the charity is now fully prepared to start the project.
The organisation’s founder, Keith Marley, told the Press and Journal that, once it is complete, the new hospital will offer care for sick and injured wildlife from all across Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and beyond.
He said: “With an extremely kind donation from Russell Landscaping, we are finally able to say we have hit our target, and now we are going to be applying for planning permission immediately.
“We are going to start building as soon as it has been approved.
“Right now, there are no other wildlife hospital facilities like ours north of Stirling, so we will be covering a huge geographical area – it will be a vital resource for wildlife from everywhere north of Dundee.”
Mr Marley added that, because the funding drive has been successful, the charity’s efforts will now be focused on a new goal – securing equipment for the new facility.
He said: “It is obviously fantastic we have finally managed to meet our goal of £30,000, but I’m afraid we are not finished yet – there is still a long way to go to make sure our new centre will be prepared for any eventuality.
“The great news is we’re finally able to actually use this money to start constructing the building, but we will need to fill it with the technology and gear we need to save these animals’ lives.
“We’ve already got a great deal of equipment, but we want to equip our new unit with the very best stuff we can provide for wildlife in the area.
“Our next round of fundraising will probably kick off fairly soon, and I know we will be able to rely on the generosity of our supporters once again to help make our wildlife hospital the best it can be.”
To find out more about the charity, visit www.thenewarc.org
