LOCAL animal rescue centre, Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare, has received a donation from local housebuilder, CALA Homes, to purchase crucial diagnostics equipment for the 2,000 animals the centre cares for each year.

The award-winning housebuilder, which is currently building an exclusive collection of three and four bedroom semi-detached and detached homes at Farriers Rise on the fringes of Ringmer, funded the purchase of a new ophthalmoscope – a diagnostics instrument used to examine the eyes and ears of almost any species at Raystede, including the many dogs, cats, horses, donkeys and even exotic birds currently at the centre.

Prior to CALA’s donation, Raystede was reliant on an older ophthalmoscope to help in diagnosing animals with eye and ear problems, but with the new equipment now in use, veterinary surgeon Dr Saskia Krawczynski is seeing a vast improvement on the speed and efficiency in which she can diagnose and treat the animals in Raystede’s care.

Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare is based between Ringmer and Halland, and has grown to cover a total of 43 acres since its inception in 1952. The centre cares for over 2,000 animals a year, rehoming 1,000 and providing sanctuary to even more. Alleviating animal cruelty, rehoming, providing sanctuary for animals in need and educating people about how to care for animals remains at the heart of everything Raystede does.

Dr Saskia Krawczynski, veterinary surgeon at Raystede, said: “We are so grateful to CALA Homes for their generous donation, which has allowed us to purchase a much-needed new ophthalmoscope. The ophthalmoscope allows us to diagnose any animal at the centre, rather than just one or two species, so it’s a crucial piece of kit which we are now using daily to diagnose and treat the animals that live here with us.”

Nicki Dennis, sales and marketing director at CALA Homes (South Home Counties), said: “We are delighted to be able to contribute to the vital work that Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare does for animals across East Sussex. We are committed to supporting the communities in which we build and will continue to work closely with the local community to support local charities and organisations such as Raystede.”

Farriers Rise is a small, select development comprising just 13 thoughtfully designed three bedroom semi-detached townhouses and spacious four bedroom detached homes, which are proving to be popular with discerning house hunters. Designed to be in keeping with the local vernacular, with attractive brick and flint exteriors, prices at Farriers Rise start from £450,000.

For further information about Farriers Rise, please visit www.cala.co.uk or www.struttandparker.com or call Strutt & Parker on 01273 475 411. For more information on Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare, please visit www.raystede.org