States loan Animal Shelter half a million

Friday 18 January 2019

The States of Jersey have agreed to loan the Animal Shelter £500,000 to help the charity through its monetary woes.

Treasury Minister Deputy Susie Pinel signed off on the secured loan to the JSPCA this week.

According to the terms of the loan, the JSPCA will have to pay it back by June 2020, and with interest.

Pictured: Kevin Keen, who took on the role of interim CEO on a volunteer basis in order to help the charity with its financial difficulties.

It's the second half a million loan the charity has taken out in a month, as part of a number of measures being taken by the shelter's interim Volunteer Chief Executive Kevin Keen as it seeks to plug debts totalling £1million, revealed by Express last year.

Another money-saving measure included shutting down the JSPCA’s dog boarding facility because the service was operating at a loss, which led to three redundancies.

“We are very grateful for the support provided to the JSPCA by the Treasury Minister and all involved with this initiative," Mr Keen said.

Pictured: Some of the animals the JSPCA has helped.

He added: "The loan will be fully secured and interest bearing so is positive for the tax payer but equally important  will help us greatly in continuing our important work caring for animals in Jersey."