A company with a love for animals wasted no time in showing its support for a Watford pet rescue centre it has selected as its chosen charity for this year.

Marketing agency Service Innovation Group (SIG) kick-started its backing for the National Animal Welfare Trust by delivering more than 50 Christmas presents it had collected for all the dogs, cats and other animals cared for at the Tylers Way centre.

SIG’s Holly Roberts said: “Service Innovation Group chose NAWT as their 2024 charity primarily due to a company-wide love for animals and with the NAWT Hertfordshire centre being only a short distance from our head office in Watford, this meant we could easily support the centre in person as well as through donations and internal fundraising.

“The Christmas shoebox appeal was the perfect opportunity for a positive start to this partnership with our head office colleagues and field teams creating animal-specific gift boxes which we hand delivered to the centre.

“We’re currently working with the National Animal Welfare Trust on 2024 plans, which include volunteer days, project assistance, fundraising and a company policy of doubling any donation made by our colleagues.

“As a business, we are excited to see what else this partnership has in store and are really keen to make a difference to the centre, the animals it cares for and the staff and volunteers of the NAWT.”

Holly delivered the presents with colleague Greg Burman and Josephine Hantonne, fundraising officer for the NAWT, said: “Holly was pleased to see that most of the animals she met when she visited last November have now found forever homes.

“Both Holly and Greg were particularly smitten with nine-month-old Barney who was very excited at the thought of new toys for Christmas!”