A charity devoted to animals has risen from the ashes on a new site following a serious fire.

It is now open to the public and visitors can stroke the numerous furry friends and give them a new home if they meet the right criteria.

Sheppey Animal Rescue Centre was formerly based in Sunset Close, Eastchurch, until the dawn blaze on December 31, 2005.

It destroyed part of the animal sanctuary including various sheds. Four chinchillas, three parrots, five hamsters and four mice perished and sacks of animal food were destroyed.

The cause was attributed to an electrical fault, possibly after rodents damaged wires.

The centre has now moved to a new and bigger site at Lower Gate, Thornhill Road, Warden, near Warden Point.

It is run by Mike Webb, 58, and his wife Debbie, 38. The couple got married in November.

Last chance

Mr Webb said: “We will be eternally grateful to Fred Lardeaux who owns Warden Manor for donating the land to us. We now have an acre-and-a-half of land and have just opened to the public at weekends from 10am to 4pm, as well as on bank holidays and school holidays. There is no admission charge, but we do ask for a 50p donation.

“Animals here come from across the Island and we are a purely Sheppey charity run by volunteers. We offer a last chance for creatures with no hope of being re-homed and some have been with us for a number of years.

“We encourage children to touch and stroke the animals so they learn to understand them and we work alongside other charities to hopefully rehome animals that have been rescued or specially brought in. With the current economic downturn, more and more people are giving up their pets, especially as they grow bigger.”

The centre has a pony, lambs, goats, rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens and polecats among others.

For more pictures, see this coming week's Sheerness Times Guardian.