Pet charity, Manx Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is celebrating the news that it has been awarded a ?15,000 grant towards building new play pens at the charity’s rehoming centre on the Isle of Man.

The new play pens will be equipped with soft furnishings, situated away from the main kennels, they will provide a ‘homely environment’ to encourage nervous or anxious dogs to relax. These new facilities will also act as a space for potential adopters to meet a dog, allowing them to get to know each other in a stress-free environment.

The ?15,000 comes from Pedigree and Whiskas Feeding Brighter Futures; an initiative that assists rehoming centres by providing much needed grants and food, and also works to raise awareness of the UK’s issue of dog and cat abandonment. 2016 marked the first year of Whiskas’ involvement in the campaign. The Feeding Brighter Futures team were delighted to announce that from this year, all cat rehoming centres who are ADCH members would be eligible to apply for a grant of ?5,000.

This year Pedigree and Whiskas Feeding Brighter Futures has awarded over ?100,000 to members of the Association of Dog and Cats Homes (ADCH), to help them improve conditions for dogs and cats when they need to be cared for the most - from new kennel improvements and training facilities to the creation of new exercise and socialisation areas.

Since 2014 Pedigree also donated over 672,000 meals to rescue dogs in rehoming centres through the Pedigree Feeding Brighter Futures programme. Food donations don’t just help centres by freeing up funds for other projects, they also play a vital role in rehabilitating the dogs in their care, as a consistent good quality diet allows dogs to recover and be re-socialised quicker.

George Hillman, Senior Brand Manager at Pedigree said:

“We would like to congratulate Manx Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals on their successful application. At Pedigree we believe that all dogs should have good nutritious food and a happy loving home. This is why we’re committed to providing rescue centres across the country with food and monetary grants, to help them make vital changes to give dogs a better chance of finding their forever home. The level of entries we had this year as part of the Feeding Brighter Futures campaign was fantastic and it goes to show how much our work is valued by the charities, as the grant money enables them to provide better care for the dogs and cats who need it most.”

Juana Warburton, General Manager at ManxSPCA, said:

“Thank you so much to everyone in the Pedigree Feeding Brighter Futures team for the incredible gift of ?15,000 to help us build the much needed play pens. For the first time, we will have a dedicated space to help homeless and abandoned dogs, from the local area, find the loving families they deserve.”

To find out more about the Pedigree and Whiskas Feeding Brighter Futures campaign visit pedigree.com/brighterfutures.