The semi-rural independent dog sanctuary – known for its unique “cage free” approach to animal welfare – carries out vital work across Greater Manchester to ensure that all rescued dogs are socialised in a healthy, relaxed and happy foster home environment, while waiting for their forever families.
But with the numbers of unwanted dogs rising alarmingly – particularly in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic – a second site was needed.
Now, “against the odds and in the most challenging of times” following several months of fundraising towards the latter end of 2020, Dogs 4 Rescue has bought Clough Bottom Farm near Accrington to turn into a state-of-the-art rehabilitation facility for street dogs.
The not-for-profit company said the current Manchester site will continue to be used as a re-homing centre, while the new Accrington farm will be used to house dogs during rehabilitation in preparation for adoption.
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A total of £192,907 from over 7,500 supporters – as well as private donations – was raised to fund the purchase.
It’s officially ours! 🥳Against the odds & in the most challenging of times we have purchased the new site for a Sanctuary & Rehab Retreat for the dogs no-one wants. Thanks for sharing our dream, the incredible support & donations. We truly have the best supporters in the world. pic.twitter.com/NRQCIGmgp9
Speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph on the successful purchase, Emma Billington – founder and owner of Dogs 4 Rescue – said: “We are inundated now from everywhere, across the UK, across the world, with dogs desperately needing help… [and] it has kind of ended up that we have become a place for dogs that need rehabilitation.
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“With the near 40 of them here, hardly of them are up for homing as it can take years to rehabilitate them so we needed another site where we could help the dogs most in need, then we can have [the Manchester site] to use for dogs to find their forever home once they have been rehabilitated.”
Due to the location of the new site, some of the local residents have raised concerns over the centre and are concerned that the barking will be a disturbance, but Emma has said that because of the freedoms the dogs have, they are less stressed and don’t bark as much as you would associate with a normal kennel.
She added: “I can totally understand where people are coming from and all I can say is if they want any more information or they have any concerns, I am very open. We don’t want to upset anybody or make anybody’s life difficult, and we are really open to the local community.
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“We have had noise surveys done [at the Manchester site] which monitored the noise over a 24 hour period and they came back and said there was nothing more than what you would expect from a neighbour who had a dog.”
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To help Dogs 4 Rescue continue its essential work across Greater Manchester, please consider donating whatever you can via the website, and for large donations or offers of corporate support, you email Emma Billington at [email protected] or ring 07412361769.
You can also keep up to date with Dogs 4 Rescue day-to-day on social media – Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Trending
BBC is casting for next series of The Traitors and wants Mancs who are ‘good at lying’ to apply
Emily Sergeant
The BBC is currently casting for the next series of The Traitors, and is looking for some deceptive Mancs to take part.
The Traitors is pretty much a cultural phenomenon at this point, let’s be honest.
Producers describe it as a ‘game of trust and treachery’, and there’s always plenty of twists, turns, shocks, and surprises along the way – but do you reckon you’ve got what it takes to play? If so, the BBC is currently casting for the next series of the popular show, and is calling on people in Greater Manchester and across the UK to apply.
Applications are currently open to ‘fun, smart, and strategic players’ who are over 18 years of age and have the right to legally reside in the UK.
The first series of the smash-hit BBC reality competition show proved pretty popular when it premiered back in 2022, but the second series took things to a whole new level, and truly seemed to capture the attentions of the nation like no other – with millions of viewers tuning in to watch the three episodes each week.
Currently, you may be one of the millions watching The Celebrity Traitors, which airs each week on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
But in case you haven’t seen it, The Traitors is, put simply, a competition series that’s built on strategy, suspicion, and deception, where a team of players are tasked with competing in a series of missions – with the more missions they complete successfully, the bigger the prize pot gets.
However, hidden among the players are the ‘Traitors’, who meet in secret and decide who to eliminate from their fellow players known as the ‘Faithfuls’.
The aim for the ‘Traitors’ is to stay undetected until the end, while the aim for the ‘Faithfuls’ is to banish all of the Traitors before the game ends.
Up for it? You have until 31 May 2026 to get your applications in online here.
Featured Image – BBC / Studio Lambert Assossiates
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Tom Aspinall to undergo more eye tests after injury sees title defence fight end in no-contest
Danny Jones
Manc MMA fighter Tom Aspinall is said to need further eye tests after an injury saw his title defence against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 end in a no-contest.
The Atherton-born UFC star was set to face the Frenchman former Muay Thai pro, 35, in the first competitive match since being declared the undisputed heavyweight champion earlier this year.
Aspinall was handed the belt by default after fighting legend Jon Jones retired from the sport, only to seemingly put himself back in training and the testing pool not long after.
Ultimately, the local athlete was unable to fully demonstrate why he’s found himself top dog in the division after an eye-poke from Gane saw Tom unable to continue. Brace yourselves: it’s rather unpleasant to watch…
Unsurprisingly, UFC fans are still wrapped up in fierce debate online, with many arguing whether or not the fight should have been stopped despite Aspinall making it clear he could no longer see properly after the illegal move.
In fact, Aspinall’s father and trainer, Andy, told various media that Tom was still unable to see out of his right eye as an ambulance quickly took him to a nearby hospital following the abandoned bout at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Nevertheless, plenty are questioning the ins and outs of the moment, with some believing that Aspinall was supposedly looking for “a way out” after the early rounds against Gane, while plenty more are wondering whether the eye poke was even ‘accidental’.
The Wigan native gave fight fans plenty of grief back, though, expressing his shock at those up in the stands booing and asking what else they expected him to do.
It was in front of his opponent’s home crowd in Paris, in fairness, but he and his fans were left, nevertheless, disappointed by the reaction following what is an extremely serious injury.
You only have to hear Michael Bisping talk about losing his right eye to know how much it changed his life, and Aspinall actually referenced the fellow Northerner in the aftermath of the eye poke, stating, “I really respect what Bisping has done; he’s done more than I would.
“I wouldn’t carry on fighting with one eye. No chance.”
While doctors have so far assured that there should be no permanent ocular damage, both pain and precaution are inevitable; it will be some time before Aspinall gets back in the octagon, and who knows when we can expect a rematch against Ciryl Gane.
You can watch the highlights before it was called early HERE, and see the ‘Honey Badger’s reaction after the fact on this official Tom Apsinall YouTube down below.
Emily Sergeant -
11th March 2021 
