The Border Collie TRUST

OBF caught up with Ben Wilkes, Trustee of Border Collie Trust GB to find out how he became involved and what happens on a daily basis at the Trust

What is your title at the BCT?

I am one of the Trustees, myself and Rachel Corden (fellow Trustee and Kennel Manager) take care of the day to day running of the centre.

 

How did you become involved with The Border Collie Trust

In 1995 my wife, Sue, and I had lost both of the dogs who shared our lives for many years. After a few months of being “dog-less” we decided we needed the companionship of another dog around the home. I’d always been interested in collies and as Border Collie Trust had a contact near us we contacted then and went to see two dogs in a local boarding kennels. We came away with a 10 month old collie cross who we renamed Taffy and he was a good friend for the next 14 years.

12 months after adopting Taffy, the Trust opened the rescue centre a few miles from our home and I became a volunteer dog walker, then helped out at shows and events before being invited to become a Trustee in 2000. In 2002 I retired from the Police Service and helped our further with a few hours a week in the office and around the centre which quickly grew to a full time volunteer. In 2004 Sue and I moved into the house on site.

 

When was the BCT founded. Who are your team members

The Trust can trace its roots back to the early 1970’s with a number of collie lovers working together to help collies in need. The organisation grew and developed over the years and in 1995 the Trust was formed, becoming a registered charity in 1996. Currently there are 8 Trustees overseeing the work we do and 12 staff. We also are lucky to have a number of volunteers who provide extra time for the dogs and can also help provide an insight into their behaviour with different people.

 

Describe a typical  week in the life of……….

In rescue there’s not really a typical day or week but of course much of the work we do centres on caring for the 30 to 40 collies who are with us at any one time. We try to ensure there’s a minimum of 5 staff on each day to provide the basic cleaning, feeding and exercising but also having the ability to deal with customers and also provide extra work with those dogs who need it. Some find kennel life difficult, some have behavioural issues that need assessing and working with so we try to provide as much of this as we can.

Myself and my colleague, Tracey, provide the admin support and deal with all phone and email enquiries. We have a busy online shop providing lots of collie related items which help raise

valuable funds for our work. We also play a part in supporting the dogs and can often be found with a collie visitor from the kennels in the office with us. This provides a break from kennels for those dogs who don't cope well but can also give us an insight into is a dog is housetrained, is it used to everyday items like a telephone and other “unusual” noises.

My day usually starts about 7.45am dealing with the previous days paperwork and thoughout the day keeping on top of the same. The number of emails and involvement in social media have grown considerably over the years and along with VAT, finances, human resources, health and safety and all the aspects of running any “business” it's usually 5pm before I know it. At the end of the day all the staff spend a short time time together to allow us all to keep up to date with things that may have happened. During the evening I update the website, monitor emails and particularly during the summer months will try to keep on top of the centre grounds and other maintenance jobs..

Many years ago we used to make regular trips, 2 or 3 a month, to Wales to collect dogs but this has eased off over the years, however, there are still trips to make from time to time throughout the UK and these often have to be organised at short notice. At times like that plans for the next day or so are thrown out of the window.

 

How really important it is for people to help

All animal charities are very grateful for the support both financial and practical that people provide. We receive no financial support from central or local government and unless a project has a “public benefit” funding from many trusts and The National Lottery is not possible. So whether it be by rehoming a dog, making a one off or regular donation, supporting in the many different ways we raise funds, considering us in a legacy or just volunteering we really do need the publics support.

 

For more information on

The Border Collie Trust please visit www.bordercollietrustgb.org.uk

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