The charity says thousands of vulnerable animals depend on public donations for safety, medical care and the chance of a new home, as its Christmas campaign calls for continued community support.
00:00Christmas is a time for families to get together, but for the animals arriving at animal rescues,
00:06Christmas can be just another day without a safe place to call home.
00:10And we always try to give the animals a really great Christmas day with a Christmas lunch with all the trimmings,
00:15but it's not the same as being in your own home.
00:18Freshfields Animal Rescue says the pets it takes in are often frightened, cold and unsure of what their future holds.
00:24And that's why they've launched their Christmas appeal called Your Present, Their Future.
00:29Now this is Princess, and she's hopefully going to find a family of her own.
00:34We're going to do everything we can to help her.
00:37Freshfields Animal Rescue says it supports animals that might otherwise have nowhere else to go.
00:42According to the charity, an estimated 1.1 million pets are homeless across the UK.
00:47Many are given up because of long-term ill health, financial pressures, relationship breakdowns or homelessness.
00:53Sadly, we all seem to be one vet bill away, one unexpected vet bill away from having to surrender an animal to the rescue centre.
01:03When I first came to work for Freshfields over 12 years ago, the majority of the animals coming in were abandoned or abused.
01:11Now we get a lot of wonderful people who just can't afford to look after their pets anymore.
01:16Deb says the charity is often the closest thing these pets have to protection and stability.
01:22She credits the public with helping them transform almost 100,000 animals' lives since the rescue first opened its doors in 1979.
01:32The local community in Merseyside has looked after us for almost 50 years now, and it's the generosity and compassion of local communities that help us to help hundreds of animals like Princess every year.
01:46And we can't thank you enough.
01:48Deb says donations allow the charities to provide warmth, medical care and the gentle support animals need to trust people again.
01:55And any donation could mean a meal for a hungry dog, could mean a warm bed for the dogs that we find abandoned, like Princess was in an empty flat, or it could mean medication for the animals who are in pain and need our help.
02:12We are determined to give back whatever we can to these wonderful animals like Princess, who inspire us every day.
02:20The charity stresses that every contribution, no matter how large or small, helps to provide meals, safe spaces to sleep and treatment that relieves pain.
02:28The charity says these essentials can give animals the best chance of finding a permanent and loving home.
02:34There's usually about 400 creatures on site at any one time. It's busy, it's noisy and it's wonderful.
02:41And we care for a wide range of creatures, companion animals, dogs and cats, rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, wildlife, mostly wild birds and hedgehogs.
02:54And our vet bills are through the roof, as you can imagine.
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