Swindon is officially mad about pets, after colleagues in Pets At Home raised a staggering £8,913 for the Support Adoption For Pets annual ‘Santa Paws’ appeal.

Since the fundraiser launched on 23 November, staff and customers in Pets At Home Swindon raised enough money to provide more than 17,400 dinners for the Blue Cross Burford Rehoming Centre.

In the four weeks leading up to Christmas, customers shopping in Pets At Home Swindon were given the opportunity to donate 50p to help provide a dinner for pets spending Christmas in a rescue centre, along with more than 440 Pets At Home stores across the UK.

This year, the annual ‘Santa Paws’ fundraising appeal which launched on Black Friday and ran until Christmas Eve, aimed to raise enough money to provide 3 million dinners to homeless pets across the UK. Thanks to help from the people of Swindon, the charity was able to exceed the record-breaking total since the annual fundraiser launched in 2013.

Support Adoption For Pets Fundraising Manager, Amy Wilson said: “This year we set an ambitious target to help raise enough money to feed more homeless pets than ever before. When we found out that we had reached this goal we were amazed and grateful to everyone who joined us on our mission to help make this the most special Christmas for pets in rescue centres across the UK.

We would like to thank everybody who made a donation in Swindon. Your help has brought a wagging tail and a happy Christmas to the lives of pets who need it most.”

Support Adoption For Pets is a charity established by Pets at Home in 2006. Every year it helps more than 1,000 rehoming centres and pet rescue organisations across the UK through grant funding and support. In addition to its fundraising work, it also runs dedicated adoption centres in over 440 Pets at Home stores.

To find out more about Support Adoption For Pets or to support the charity please visit www.supportadoptionforpets.co.uk