An animal rescue founded nearly 40 years ago when a kitten needed a home is now a huge operation that saves dogs, horses, donkeys, goats, and even a pair of cheeky pigs.

Pauline Rice, a lifelong animal lover, founded Ark Animal Rescue in North Somercotes in 1985. She passed away in 2017 and her daughter Sue Rice took over, and now her daughter Laura Wootton and granddaughter Belle Wootton are helping out too – meaning four generations of the same family have been rescuing animals in Lincolnshire and beyond.

Laura, the rescue and retirement homes assistant manager, said the cost of living crisis has taken a real toll on pet owners who sometimes have no choice but to give up their companions. The rescue itself is battling increased energy bills and a Just Giving fundraiser has been launched to help them out.

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Describing the cost of living crisis as “terrible”, Laura said: “There is now a massive responsibility taking on vet bills and pet food now. When people lost a family member in the past, normally they’d step up [by adopting their pets] but they can’t afford to now. There is a real need for us, sadly.

“We now have all these beautiful, well-trained animals that are really well looked after but the owners just can’t afford to keep them. Somebody came in with two cats because she could no longer afford to keep them.”

Including small furries such as hamsters, Ark Animal Rescue rehomed an impressive 452 animals in the 12 months up to December last year. But as the need for their pet rehoming services goes up, so do their own expenses.

Laura said: “Obviously, the costs of utility bills are rising all the time. It’s amazing, there have been times we thought we couldn’t go on but people always show their support when we are desperate. Even if it’s just 50p, if every supporter gave us that we’d be OK.”

The rescue, which is a non-profit, has paid staff as well as a dedicated band of volunteers and it also offers work experience through a partnership with Linkage, a local charity helping people with learning disabilities learn new skills and lead independent lives.

Laura said Ark Animal Rescue was founded almost by chance by her grandmother, Pauline Rice. “She took on a mother and her kitten and it just grew from there,” she said.

She said Pauline “just loved animals” and picked the remote North Somercotes location when the rescue grew. It now has many paddocks and 22 equines in total, including the donkeys.

A pair of pigs, called Jeff and Ethel, are also permanent residents. There are several animals who have permanently “retired” at the rescue, as Laura explained.

She said: “There is no expiry date. If a cat can’t be domesticated, we don’t give up on them and they have a log cabin with sofas and heaters. We often used to laugh because cats would just show up!”

At the time of writing, the fundraiser has raised £440 towards vet bills, heating kennels, and the day-to-day running costs. For more information on pets for adoption and how to help out, you can visit the Ark Animal Rescue website.