CHRISTMAS WITH A CONSCIENCE: Nationwide Charity Auction Supports 300 UK Animal Rescues

One Voice for Animals UK’s Christmas Auction runs online from 29 November - 5 December.  With over 250 lots to bid on, the auction has something for everyone from hand-crafted Christmas decorations to artworks donated by renowned artists and photographers [examples pictured].  Other lots include jewellery, hampers, signed CDs and books, vouchers and experiences.

The winning bids for some of these lots will be paid to the specific rescue who donated the lot. The rest of the lots can benefit any rescue on the Appeal’s member directory at www.helpanimals.co.uk. The winning bidder chooses which one of almost 300 animal rescue organisations they want to support.

The Auction runs on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/OneVoiceAuction) from 7pm on Sunday 29 November - 5pm on Saturday 5 December. As soon as the auction closes at 7pm on Saturday 5th December the Appeal’s hardworking volunteers are all set to ensure the donations are made to the nominated rescue and items are posted out to ensure arrival in plenty of time for Christmas.

One Voice for Animals UK is a voluntary group originally set up in April 2020 to support small rescue centres and sanctuaries for wildlife and domestic animals which had lost their volunteers and fundraising ability due to Covid-19, at the same time as dealing with huge increases in unwanted pets. They get no Government funding and don't qualify for National Lottery money.

During the first lockdown, Val Green, a civil servant from Nottingham, saw her local rescues’ pleas for help on social media. Val gathered a small team of volunteers and set up www.helpanimals.co.uk, a directory of almost 300 animal organisations, caring for approx 22,000 animals between them. The aim is to enable the public to easily find and support rescues near them, be that a financial donation, items such as newspapers or old towels, or help running social media pages.

The “Communities” page of the website also provides links to initiatives for the public to get involved in, such as crafting items like knitted nests, and transporting wildlife.