1. Wood Green intends to sell the Heydon site for housing development. The proceeds will be used to help fund two projects at Godmanchester where all services are to be centralised: a £2M cattery and a £4M welcome centre.
To date STILL no comment has been made on why funding cannot be split.
2. The Welcome Centre is an administrative building - and is not for visitors. Wood Green do not want animal lovers to visit their sites any more. They have removed their Godmanchester Trip Advisor presence following negative comments. They want pet rehoming to be a "virtual experience" - an administrator in the new Welcome Centre will match the pet to the new owner. The new owner will then have to travel to the foster home, or if the fosterer does not want the public in their home, to a "hub" or vet's surgery to meet the pet.
3. Supporters over the years have found that their relationship with Wood Green has begun with a heart warming visit to Heydon to see the animals. Perhaps an elderly person seeking a companion; a young family visiting to see the animals or a couple looking for their first pet together. That will no longer be possible.
4. Fewer cats will be helped overall - Heydon has an isolation unit, mother and kitten unit and about 55 individual pens. Godmanchester currently has about fifty pens and a multi-species isolation unit. In addition, there are cats on foster now with the well-established, experienced Heydon and Godmanchester foster groups. The future closure of Heydon in April 2021 will mean the loss of both existing catteries, and the construction of a new 70 pen unit at Godmanchester. This will mean the loss overall of 30 units and the existing Heydon foster circle. New fosterers will take time to recruit and train. Other charities are constantly seeking new fosterers and volunteers. We do not understand why Wood Green thinks it will succeed where other, more established charities, are struggling.
Wood Green's focus will move away from North Herts and South Cambs, and towards Peterborough and the north.
5. Heydon's catchment - together with that of the London Centre - are to be patrolled by a Wood Green van - which, when an owner wishes to give up their pet, the van will drive to their location, collect the animal, and drive it either to a fosterer's home or, if it is considered "high end" it will be taken to Godmanchester. Cats are poor travellers, and a frightened cat, taken from its dead owner's home, or a stray, heavily pregnant mum-to-be, will have to endure a frightening journey potentially from north London to Godmanchester. That is very poor animal welfare!
6. Wood Green have not factored in the viability with having more vehicles on the road the balance of probabilities is that more people and more animals will be at risk of being involved in RTAs. This is very poor animal Welfare.
Alongside this having more vehicles will involve more money which has not been commented on by Wood Green. It will be thousands of ££££ for the vehicles, motor trade insurance and subsequent motor insurance claims (which invariably also include costs with solicitors and court)
KEEP HEYDON OPEN!