Cramlington firm Miller helps cat and dog shelter clear field and build new pig pool

Helpers Rachael Kendall, Matthew Davison, Charlene Bradwell, Anjuli Hakin, Paul Grant and Ricky Martin.

A Cramlington firm has helped one of the region’s biggest animal shelters make a pool for pigs.

Miller has selected Newcastle Dog and Cat Shelter in Longbenton as its chosen charity for 2023. And to kick the year of support off, it sent staff and machinery to the shelter to help clear a recreational field and start work on a new pig pool.

The field spans a huge 12 acres, so having it cleared has meant the environment for the animals has improved significantly.

Two members of staff from the Miller team spent almost two days carrying out site improvements, and were able to cart tons of soil away after being given free use of a dump truck by Cramlington-based Hubbway Plant Hire.

The digger gets to work on clearing the muck heap.

Anjuli Hakin, head of animal welfare at the shelter, said: “The removal of the muck heap and digging of the piggy pool is a job that usually falls to our animal care team or corporate

volunteers.

"It’s a heavy job and can take days to make the slightest dent in the muck heap. As such, we had been looking into options to speed up the process but the cost implications were too high for the charity.

“When Miller offered to dedicate its staffing and resources to help, we were absolutely delighted as it really does make such a big difference. Our animals have already benefited from the improvements made and we would like to thank the company for their continued support over the next year as their chosen charity.”

The local manufacturing business is recognised as a global leader in supplying groundbreaking attachments to major OEM’s (original equipment manufacturers) around the globe.

As part of its efforts to raise money, Miller will be launching a series of fundraising activities for all its team to participate in, including a sponsored dog walk.

Ricky Martin, field service engineer at Miller said: “It was a pleasure to be able to contribute our services to the dog and cat shelter, utilising our resources that we had to hand alongside our expertise – and with the help of Hubbway – to be able to transform the field into a suitable environment for the animals.

“We would also like to thank Hubbway for their support and we are looking forward to working closely with the charity over the next year.”