A CALENDAR has been launched by the RSPCA’s Keighley & Craven branch.

The initiative aims to celebrate the charity’s work ­– and raise desperately-needed funds.

Like other causes, the organisation – and its income – has been badly hit by the impact of the pandemic.

The calendar – featuring cats and dogs rehomed during the past year – was designed by the branch administrator, Matt Dagg.

He said: “We asked all the new owners to send us pictures of – and some wording about – the cats and dogs they had adopted from us over the year.

“It took quite a few months in the summer to design the pages, as there were so many to fit in!

“Clearly it’s been a really hard couple of years – we’ve had to cope with lots of restrictions – so we wanted to celebrate all the new homes that we managed to find.”

Matt said the periods of lockdown meant procedures had to be carried out very differently, and he pays tribute to the volunteers and new owners.

He added: “Everything had to be contactless.

“We completed all the adoption forms online instead of on paper, adoption fees were sent via bank transfer rather than being paid by cash and because the public was not allowed to travel to us, our fantastic volunteers took the cats and dogs to their new homes.

“Our volunteers have been wonderful in the support and time that they have given to our branch and we are hugely grateful. We also owe a massive thanks to the new owners who chose to adopt from us and gave a rescue animal a second chance at a happy life.

“The calendar is a great way to celebrate everyone’s team efforts.”

Matt said the first batch of calendars had been sent out and the response was “really positive”.

“Owners have loved to see their pets featured and lots of people are buying multiple copies to give as gifts,” he said.

“We’d love to sell as many copies as we can and raise some much-needed funds, to enable us to carry on caring for local vulnerable animals who really need our assistance. We’re also trying to support local pet owners as much as possible and have started to donate pet food to food banks, which helps struggling families to keep their beloved pets in their family home. And we can offer financial assistance to anyone within our branch area who would genuinely struggle with the cost of neutering their pet – with a particular focus on cats.”

To buy a calendar, visit rspca-craven.org.uk/calendar.