AN animal rescue centre which has saved the lives of thousands of stray dogs over the last decade has been given a donation to help it find its own permanent home.

Stray Aid hopes to raise £250,000 to buy the boarding kennels site in Coxhoe, near Durham, which it has rented for the last 10 years.

Dedicated staff and volunteers at the charity look after around 1,500 strays dogs every year, providing veterinary care before finding them a new home.

Now builder Persimmon Homes Durham has presented Stray Aid with a £4,000 gift to help improve facilities.

Lee Henderson, assistant manager for Stray Aid, said: “This will save the lives of so many dogs and cats”.

He added: “We’re raising £250,000 to buy up the original boarding kennels on the site we currently rent space in, which will go a long way to stabilising the charity.

“We feel that we need this to continue with the charity’s work, to give us a permanent home and to allow us to have a proper base for both our dogs and our volunteers”.

Christine Cooper, sales and marketing director for Persimmon Homes Durham, said: “After visiting Stray Aid and seeing how hard they work, it was clear that they should receive our backing.

“The help they give to abandoned dogs and cats is nothing short of remarkable”.

To apply for funding visit persimmonhomes.com/charity.