The Charity Show

BITES #15: World Animal Day: From donkeys to Meatloaf scarecrows


Listen Later

Welcome back to The Charity Show Bites, your quick-fire dose of surprising stories, sector insights and the odd fact you can impress your colleagues with over a cuppa.

This week, Tim and Piers celebrate World Animal Day, which marked its 100th anniversary on October 4th, 2025. From street fundraisers and surprise donations to pop-star scarecrows, this episode shines a light on the brilliant animal charities and community projects helping creatures great and small.

In this episode, we explore:

  • 🐾 Scottish SPCA’s biggest ever World Animal Day fundraiser – 33 street collections across 15 council areas, powered by hundreds of volunteers.

  • 🐴 Remus Horse Sanctuary – open day celebrations in Essex, complete with rescued horses, ponies and donkeys.

  • 🐶 £100,000 surprise for Rescue Me Animal Sanctuary – presented by Paddy McGuinness at the Pets Foundation Ball in Liverpool.

  • 🐕 Cost of living crisis – new data from the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes showing 97% of rescues face rising demand.

  • 🐇 Naturewatch Foundation’s Pet Rescue Grants – microgrants changing lives for small rescue centres like the Bunny Jackpot Foundation and Hope Rescue.

  • 🏆 Petplan & ADCH Animal Charity Awards 2025 – celebrating the sector’s unsung heroes, from Cotswold Dogs & Cats Home to British Divers Marine Life Rescue.

  • 🌾 Minskip Scarecrow Weekend – North Yorkshire’s eccentric pop-star-themed fundraiser featuring Elvis, Bowie, Madonna… and a surprisingly realistic Meatloaf.

  • 🌍 Save Animals, Save the Planet – this year’s global World Animal Day theme reminding us that protecting animals protects our shared environment too.

👉 Whether you’re a dog owner, a donkey fan or just love a good feel-good story, this episode is a cheerful snapshot of how the charity world continues to champion animal welfare, 100 years on from the first World Animal Day.


Useful links

  • World Animal Day – worldanimalday.org.uk

  • Scottish SPCA – scottishspca.org

  • Remus Horse Sanctuary – remussanctuary.org

  • Rescue Me Animal Sanctuary

  • Association of Dogs and Cats Homes (ADCH) – adch.org.uk

  • Naturewatch Foundation – naturewatch.org

    • Petplan & ADCH Animal Charity Awards
    • Check out the scarecrows: https://youtu.be/HpEPBwf-50I
    • The Good Studio – creative content for charities


    Get involved:

    • Listen to The Charity Show and The Charity Show Bites on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite platform
    • Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
    • ⁠⁠Send a voice message to TheCharityShow⁠⁠
    • Find every link you need: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thecharityshow⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Enjoyed the episode? Leave a five-star review and follow/subscribe to support the show!


    💡 If you enjoyed this episode, hit follow or subscribe on your podcast app, and please leave us a five-star rating — it helps more people find conversations with real charity experts across the UK.

    This episode is produced by ⁠⁠⁠The Good Studio⁠⁠⁠ – Creating great content for good causes. From podcasts and campaigns to film and copywriting, The Good Studio helps charities tell powerful stories that make people care.👉 Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠www.thegoodstudio.co.uk ⁠⁠

  • ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    The Charity ShowBy Tim Beynon and Piers Townley