The North West needs this facility more than ever
Increasing levels of animal cruelty and neglect have put our specialist frontline rescue and care teams under exceptional pressure in the North West.
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A growing and more complex need for animals
We’re experiencing a capacity crisis, and our centres are full. With no national-run RSPCA rehabilitation and rehoming centre in the North West, many of the animals we rescue are cared for in emergency boarding facilities while they wait for a space in one of our centres.
Sadly, we see disproportionately high levels of reports in the North West, leading to 5,072 pets being rescued last year, accounting for more than a quarter (26%) of all the animals we brought to safety in 2025.
More animals are coming into our care with:
- complex medical conditions
- behavioural challenges
- longer-term rehabilitation needs.
At the same time, demand for our services continues to grow. Across the North West and neighbouring areas, including West and South Yorkshire:
- around 326 reports of animal cruelty and neglect are received each week.
- almost 100 animals are rescued each week.
Our independent, hard-working RSPCA branches in the North West found 2,885 cats, dogs and small pets homes in 2024 – that’s an incredible 55 animals every week. This proposed new RSPCA facility will help to give hundreds more rescued animals the second chance at happiness they deserve.
Pressure on existing facilities
Currently, the main charity RSPCA doesn’t have any animal rehabilitation centres in the region. This makes it more challenging to provide the specialist support needed for vulnerable animals rescued in the region.
As such, we rely heavily on emergency boarding kennels and catteries, our network of RSPCA branches and other animal welfare partners. We urgently need more capacity to provide better support to animals with complex care needs.
As such, we rely heavily on emergency boarding kennels and catteries, our network of RSPCA branches and other animal welfare partners. We urgently need more capacity to provide better support to animals with complex care needs.
Why now?
Animals are in need in the North West
Cruelty and neglect
Over the last five years, we’ve seen worrying increases in reports of animal cruelty and neglect, with about one report every five minutes. We receive more reports from West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester than anywhere else, with Lancashire and South Yorkshire also identified as being in the top 10 animal welfare hotspots.
A fifth of all the reports of cruelty and neglect we received in 2025 (84,712 total reports across England and Wales) came from the area that will be served by the new site.
In 2025, we received 16,952 reports of animal cruelty and neglect in the area that will be served by a new site – a 32% rise over the last five years. This rise equates to 1,400 reports a month, 326 a week or 46 every single day.
Rescue animals need care
In the last year, 5,072 dogs, cats and small pets were rescued from this area and needed care – that’s almost 100 animals every week.
More than a quarter of all the dogs, cats and small pets, such as rabbits, who we rescued last year came from the area that will be served by a new centre.
An increasing number of animals came into our care in 2025, particularly from this area, which saw a 23% rise in dogs, cats and small pets being rescued in just one year.
A capacity crisis means that 40% of our dogs, cats and small pets are in emergency boarding facilities. With no national centre in the North West, this puts additional strain on our frontline teams rescuing animals.
Cases involving many animals
In recent years we’ve seen a worrying increase in incidents involving 10 or more animals at a single address, particularly in the area that will be served by the new site.
In 2025, our frontline teams responded to 755 incidents from the North West area – that’s two a day on average.
This is a 78% rise in multi-animal incidents from 2021 (424), higher than the rise in the rest of England and Wales (68%).
Why this location?
There are no dedicated national-run RSPCA rehabilitation and rehoming centres in the region
More than a quarter of all animals we take in for care have originated from the North West, West and South Yorkshire areas.
Despite this level of demand, there’s currently no national-run RSPCA rehabilitation and rehoming centres in the North West. Our RSPCA branches and other animal welfare organisations do an incredible job of rehabilitating and rehoming animals in the region. However, the sheer number of animals with complex care needs means we need to provide greater specialist support, facilities and additional rehabilitation capacity.
The proposed centre is intended to help address this gap. It will also help relieve pressure on existing services and reduce the need for emergency boarding in private establishments.
We’ve researched more than 30 locations in the North West. Mossley Hall Farm in Lowton, which has an existing farmhouse, buildings and arable land, is the right size and in a location that will help us have the biggest impact for animals in the surrounding counties who’ve been rescued from cruelty and neglect.
hOW WILL WE RESOLVE THESE ISSUES?
Through a more joined-up approach
The RSPCA is modernising. By bringing together specialist animal expertise on one site, we can deliver life-saving care more quickly to thousands of animals, giving them a better chance of a good life.
These centres, including the proposed site at Mossley Hall Farm, will combine:
- veterinary care
- assessment on arrival
- rehabilitation, recovery and behavioural support
- rehoming
- education and community space
This one-site approach will help improve how care is delivered and get animals the help they need more quickly. A centre would increase our capacity and ultimately reduce the time animals spend in our care so they can get into loving homes sooner.
