Funding has helped to give a dog a home

The organisation was founded in 1991, but it was not until earlier this year that founder Alexa Nisbet decided to move to permanent premises.

Suitable kennels were found at Charlton Mires, Alnwick, and thanks to cash raised by volunteers, money from the Co-op’s local community fund and donations from other businesses, Patterson Cottage Boarding Kennels opened.

Under the Co-op’s local community fund, members receive a five per cent reward for any purchases they make of own-brand products and services, with a further one per cent directly benefiting local causes. Shoppers at the store in Longhoughton supported Alexa’s Animals.

Alexa Nisbet, founder of Alexa’s Animals, said: “Despite a pretty hard start, our kennels are now flourishing. We are taking in more rescue dogs than ever before and being successful in re-homing them.

“We are providing all necessary veterinary care to enable many of these dogs to have a second chance, as a lot come to us badly neglected.

“We are a very small local, independent charity with no affiliations to any national welfare charities, so for us to achieve what we have is quite amazing – even for us.

“However, we couldn’t have done it without our volunteers, the members of the public who give so generously and support us through the year and to businesses like the Co-op.”

For more about the Co-op’s membership scheme, visit www.coop.co.uk/membership