Can your children be a Summer Hero for RSPCA Cornwall’s Bailey?

Bailey has spent a good chunk of his summer meeting new people, heading out on short walks and collecting as many cuddles as a dog can reasonably hope for. Now the young rescue dog has a request for the children of Cornwall, and it is one that can be answered from a front garden, a kitchen table or the end of a driveway. While the school holidays run on, he is looking for a few Summer Heroes.

Bailey is one of the dogs waiting for a forever home at RSPCA Cornwall, and his appeal has gone out through the branch as part of its 30th anniversary fundraising campaign. The idea is simple. Children who fancy doing something useful over the break can raise a bit of money to help dogs like him while they wait to be rehomed.

A rescue dog with a summer plan

The pitch comes in Bailey’s own voice, which is how the branch has chosen to tell it. He has been introduced to visiting young people, enjoyed a little walk and, by his own account, gave out some of his best kisses. That got him thinking about all the other dogs still in kennels, and about how a summer of small efforts could add up to something worthwhile.

Every penny raised goes towards warm beds, decent food, enrichment, veterinary care and the everyday business of keeping rescue dogs comfortable and cared for until the right family comes along.

📷Credit: RSPCA Cornwall Branch

Ways to become a Summer Hero

The branch has put forward a handful of ideas that suit a school holiday. A child could hold a cake sale, run a lemonade stand, sell some old toys, or make and sell their own artwork. Anyone after a bigger challenge can set up a sponsored one of their own and rope in family and friends.

Children who want to take part can set up their own JustGiving fundraising page, and there is a fundraising pack to download with everything needed to get going. The branch has also asked that fundraisers send in their photos so the effort can be celebrated.

📷Credit: RSPCA Cornwall Branch

The Tree That Cornwall Grew

Fundraisers can dedicate what they raise to a project called The Tree That Cornwall Grew. The money there is going towards modern kennel spaces designed to help frightened rescue dogs feel calmer and begin to recover, part of the branch marking 30 years with a look at the next 30.

It is the sort of behind-the-scenes work that visitors rarely see, and it is where the summer’s cake sales and lemonade stands are meant to land.

A behind-the-scenes thank you

There is a reward on offer too. Every child who fundraises for the 30th anniversary campaign will be invited to one of the branch’s 30th Anniversary Supporter Tours. That means a look around the Venton Centre, a chance to meet some of the dogs and cats their money is helping, a preview of the kennel refurbishment plans and a photo opportunity to mark the occasion.

📷Credit: RSPCA Cornwall Branch

How to get started

Getting involved with RSPCA Cornwall‘s summer campaign starts with setting up a JustGiving page and downloading the fundraising pack, then picking whichever money-raising idea suits the household. Photos of the finished bake sale or the emptied piggy bank can be sent back to the branch to be shared.

Bailey signs off with a line the branch put in his mouth as he headed off across the field: “Thank you for using your summer holidays to help dogs like me.” He is still waiting for his forever home.

📷Credit: RSPCA Cornwall Branch