Our Strategy

Our next chapter: building a future for animals and the people who love them

Margaret Green Animal Rescue has been caring for animals and the people who love them for more than 60 years.

Since 1965, we have rescued animals in need, helped them recover, found them new homes and supported the communities around them. Our new strategy sets out how we will continue to grow our impact across the South West.

The world of animal rescue is changing. We are seeing more animals with complex welfare and behavioural needs, expectations of modern rescue charities are evolving, and we need to build a more resilient income base for the future.

Our new five-year strategy sets out a clear ambition from now until 2031, with a longer-term ambition towards 2036, all underscored by our four commitments.

Our four commitments

Underpinned by: our people, our places, smart use of data and good governance

1. Outstanding animal welfare and care

Every animal is an individual, so our approach to their care should be too. We already take a behaviour led approach to every animal's care, and we will build on this further, with a personalised plan for each individual. As more straightforward rehoming cases are supported through foster placements and our Home Match service, our centres can focus on animals with more complex needs who require specialist, on-site care.

2. Prevention, education and community

We want to prevent problems before they start, rather than simply picking up the pieces afterwards. That means growing our education and community work, helping people become confident and responsible pet owners, and making our shops greater sources of advice and support within their communities.

We will also better measure the advice and support we provide, so we can demonstrate the difference it makes.

3. Partnerships, influence and thought leadership

We cannot do everything ourselves. By working with other organisations, we can share expertise and achieve more for animals. We will continue to build partnerships with organisations such as the RSPCA and Forever Hounds Trust, while investing in our own people and developing Margaret Green Animal Rescue as an academy of excellence: the place other charities look to for skilled, committed staff.

We also want to be part of the national debate on the future of animal rescue, sharing our expertise to help influence policy across the sector.

4. Sustainable income and retail

Our aim is to build a more diverse and resilient income base. We are growing and developing our shops, with an ambition to open around two new shops each year, alongside improvements to existing stores, such as Swanage, increasing the proportion of donations where we can claim Gift Aid, and developing new income streams.

Being a centre of excellence for animals with the most complex needs depends on skilled, specialist staff, our greatest asset and our greatest cost. We maintain a higher staff to animal ratio than many other rescue charities, because that is what this level of care requires, and sustaining it for the future means building a strong income base behind it.

You, our supporters, are integral throughout our charity’s history. Our shared passion for animal welfare will continue to be vital to our future plans, and we will share the stories and greater levels of data demonstrating the difference that your support makes in the lives of animals and people across the South West.

Looking ahead

Our new strategy is about making sure Margaret Green Animal Rescue can continue to be here for animals, and the people who care about them, for generations to come. This is the beginning of our next chapter and our ambition is to make it one that lasts for the next 60 years.

You can watch our short film about the new strategy below.

Investing in our people and places

Our strategy is also about investing in the people who make our work possible. We will develop our staff through leadership development, meaningful career opportunities and fair reward, and grow our volunteer community with clearer specialist roles, new posts and apprenticeship opportunities, and better recognition of the contribution volunteers make. In our retail teams alone, we are aiming for 150 active volunteers by 2031.

We will invest, too, in the places where our work happens. Church Knowle, our Head Office and Visitor Centre, is where the first phase of our site investment will take shape.

Our plans for Phase 1 at Church Knowle are still subject to planning permission and fundraising.

We are also proposing to build 16 kennels that will be designed to provide calm, low stress environments for rescue dogs, giving them the best chance of being rehabilitated and finding loving homes more quickly. As more straightforward rehoming takes place through foster placements and Home Match, the dogs remaining in our centres are increasingly those who are frightened, traumatised and/or have medical issues. They need calm, self-contained spaces where they can receive specialist care to give them the best chance of a new home.

The proposed kennel location is at the edge of our site, in a field more than 200 metres from neighbouring homes, with independent assessment indicating a low noise impact. The plans will also be developed carefully to protect the other animals in our care and local wildlife.

As part of the first phase we are also reopening The Chase, our space for horses and farm animals and installing new fencing around the top of the site. Further phases may include refurbishing other buildings, such as our cattery, though these ideas are still at an early stage.

Before we submit our planning application, we want to hear what local people think.

Join us at our drop-in event at Church Knowle on 19th  September from 10:00 - 11:30, or share your thoughts by email at: ceo@mgar.org.uk

The first phase at Church Knowle

You can watch our short film about our plans for Church Knowle below.