Crisis at animal shelter

9:11am Monday 28th April 2008

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By Jon Reeve »

PADLOCKED gates keeping the public out, security staff guarding the site around the clock and staff fearful for their futures after colleagues were suspended without warning.

It is all a far cry from the happy image of a small charity that for 55 years has been dedicated to caring for and re-homing unwanted and abandoned animals.

Crisis-hit Hampshire charity St Francis Animal Welfare has suddenly closed after dramatic developments in the internal dispute threatening to tear it apart.

Fears have now been raised about the long-term future of the Fair Oak shelter, with some fundraisers telling the Daily Echo they will not be collecting money or food donations for the shelter anymore.

Some St Francis charity boxes have even been removed from display around the county.

However bosses say it is business as usual and there is no doubt over the sanctuary continuing.

A month after the Charity Commission revealed it was investigating complaints about the way the charity was being run, the ruling committee has suspended two of the shelter's four full-time staff.

One of them is the shelter's live-in manager of nearly 30 years, Ann Hillman.

The other suspended worker was escorted from the premises amid an internal investigation into comments posted on the social networking website Facebook.

The committee that runs St Francis was controversially re-elected at an AGM in March, where around 50 apparently paid-up members were barred from entering and having their say.

Police were called to keep the peace at the stormy meeting, with the committee saying it feared it would be hijacked by a rival group trying to gain control of the charity.

Animal welfare In the aftermath of the meeting at Fair Oak Village Hall arguments continued, but the main focus of all concerned was the care of the hundreds of animals at the Mortimers Lane sanctuary.

With the gates suddenly closing on Friday afternoon, the ability to do that - and particularly to re-home pets - has now been called into question.

Only members of the public with pre-arranged appointments are being allowed on to the site.

A source close to the shelter, who has asked not to be named, said staff and supporters of the charity were in shock at the dramatic developments.

"Every single lock has been changed and there are security staff on site 24 hours a day," they said.

"The shelter has been closed for a week at least, but no one is quite sure what else is going to happen. It's disgusting.

"It's going to hit the shelter hard. Obviously it's going to cause money problems.

"There are animals in desperate need of new homes, but that can't happen while the gates are locked."

The charity's constitutional affairs officer, Matthew Myatt said opening has only been temporarily restricted, and the shelter would be back to normal on Friday.

He confirmed investigations are being carried out into "an internal staffing matter", but said it would be unfair on the individuals concerned to discuss details.

"It's business as usual," said Mr Myatt. "The shelter is open to the public by appointment only because we feel we need the staff to be concerned with the animals' welfare without distraction.

"If people want to come, by all means phone and make an appointment, but we've got to put the welfare of the animals first."

Mr Myatt said the future of the shelter, which costs more than £125,000 a year to run, is not in any doubt.

"If there is a small number of people who now feel that because of the action we've taken they don't want to collect for St Francis that is their decision," he said.

"We can't force people to support us, but at the moment we are very solvent. There are absolutely no worries about the future whatsoever."