Future of RSPCA Preston remains unclear as new trustees taken on

A Preston animal shelter has been taken under the wing of its national namesake charity.

RSPCA Preston and District branch, which was an independent branch, closed in December last year and has not opened since.

It was closed due to a ‘concern about standards of animal welfare’ not meeting the national RSPCAs expected requirements.

Now Blog Preston can reveal the Longridge Road centre has been taken onto the books of the national RSPCA.

Three new trustees have been brought in after all previous trustees resigned in April.

Paul Draycott, Mike Tomlinson and Paul Baxter are on the board for the charity and all currently have places on the RSPCA’s National Council.

The former trustees of the charity were Ms J Eastwood, Mrs C Russell, Mrs J Bell, Mrs P McGrath, Mrs E Moynihan, Mrs H Park and Miss A Russell – listed in the last set of accounts for the Preston charity in July last year.

Accounts for the charity, covering the last accounting year 2016, show the charity made a loss of £27,574 and was beginning to eat into some of its reserves – which totalled around £280,000.

During that year the charity received £161,563 in donations and legacy money left by people in their wills.

Temporary closure sign outside RSPCA Preston and District

What the RSPCA have to say

A spokeswoman for the RSPCA said: “The RSPCA Preston and District branch has been taken into National Society council trusteeship after most of the trustees resigned in April.

“The branch’s animal centre closed in December and remains so at the moment.

“Even though the centre is currently closed, the branch continues to do animal welfare work in the area including the provision of its clinic on Lancaster Road, Preston, and we are continuing to accept donations which will be used towards this work.

“Food donations with long expiry dates are being stored and those with a shorter shelf life are being given to other local RSPCA centres where it is being used to help the animals in their care.”

Anyone interested in rehoming an animal is being directed to the RSPCAs Southport, Liverpool and Blackpool branches.

Who are the new trustees?

Paul Baxter. Runs a driver training school and was previously a head of logistics for ASDA. He has been a volunteer and trustee of the Gwent branch of the RSPCA for 26 years. He’s served on the national RSPCA as a trustee since 2011. He has two rescue dogs, a Jack Russell cross called Toby and Buzz a boxer.

Paul Draycott. A former police officer he had 32 years in the force and as an inspector led policing in Chester. He has been trustee for the Warrington RSPCA for 20 years and joined the national RSPCA council in 2008.

Mike Tomlinson. Spent 25 years in the manufacturing industry. He joined the national RSPCA in 1986 and was elected to the council in 1993. He has a rescue dog called Ella.

What do you think about the National RSPCA taking on the Preston branch? Let us know your views in the comments below