(EMAILWIRE.COM, December 06, 2012 ) Victoria, Australia -- A British animal welfare charity has bestowed an award on a housing association in the West Sussex, England village of Storrington.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) honored Hanover Housing Association with its Silver Community Animal Welfare Footprints award.
The British retirement housing provider earned the award due to commitment to residents as a pet-friendly housing provider.
Peter and Sandra Twiff are Hanover Walk residents, and former champion greyhound named Tarquin and its owners. The The couple was on hand to accept the award, along with housing staff from the association.
The couple adopted Tarquin, a brindle greyhound, in 2008 from "The Retired Greyhound Trust." Tarquin went by the name "Rulebook" during its racing days, where it enjoyed a successful career.
The Twiggs relocated to Hanover Walk earlier this year, in part because of the property's stance on pets.
Hanover Walk's estate manager, Val Harber, said, "At the Storrington estate, we have a parakeet, an aviary, and several domestic pets owned by residents. The award is excellent news and highlights the positive benefits pets can bring in retirement housing."
This is the second consecutive year that Hanover Walk has been bestowed with the Silver Community Animal Welfare Footprints award.
"We are delighted to receive the award and next year we will hopefully be going for gold," Harber said.
The RSPCA, which has been in existence since 1824, is a registered charity in England and Wales. The RSPCA's mission is to promote compassion for all creatures great and small, from the largest whale to the tiniest goldfish. They aim to prevent animal cruelty and alleviate the suffering of all animals, including pets, farm animals wild animals, and animals used in laboratory experiments.
Harber, who has been with the Hanover Housing Association for more than 23 years, says there is a marvellous sense of community at Hanover Walk, for both humans and animals.
"Many years ago," Harber said, "You didn't used to be able to keep pets in a retirement housing development. But that's something I challenged and the company changed its policy."
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