On Sunday May 22nd we held our fantastic Open Day event which was a street party to celebrate our 130 year anniversary. We threw open our doors and visitors and their dogs could take a look at The Mayhew Animal Home behind-the-scenes.

The sun was out and the weather was perfect for visitors to meet and talk with our staff about our work and meet our wonderful TheraPaws volunteers and dogs. TheraPaws volunteers and dogs who came along included Charlie and Lola, Deborah and Noodle, Ilonka and BenJecky, Christina and Archie. Visitors could also say hello to our cats in our busy Cattery,  browse stalls and play fun games! Our guests also took a special tour round our newly expanded Vet Clinic and speak with our Vets and Vet Nurses and view demos showing our work and equipment. We also had a Victorian Veterinary Surgery Room set up where kids could dress up in surgery gowns and masks and (pretend) operate on a teddy.

We were also delighted to welcome The Worshipful Mayor of Brent, Councillor Parvez Ahmed, who was elected the new Mayor of Brent on 18th May 2016. Mr. Mayor Ahmed was shown around The Mayhew and chatted with staff and met a few dogs, cats and kittens along the way. He also took time to speak with our CEO, Caroline Yates, and Project Manager for Afghanistan, Dr. Mo, about our Mayhew International work.

Our 130th birthday cake competiton was won by Margaret Lewis with some wonderful entries from David Wright, Anne Harvey and others. It was a close call, so thanks to everyone for your cakes.

Entertainment included the North London Brass Band and jazz band Carltron and PC Shawn Ross and the Police Cadets came along to give us a helping hand on the day, so a big thank you to them. Shawn also raised over £100 for us to get his face painted with a butterfly! Our every-popular Happily Homed Parade included many of our adopted dogs including Kizzy, Cassie, Zoe and Millou.

Our 130th Anniversary Open Day event attracted over 500 visitors and we raised over £7000 on the day, so a huge thank you to everyone who came along to support us.  Also a big thanks to our volunteers and staff who helped out and made it a truly memorable event. Take a look at the gallery below and click on the photos to see the fun had by everyone. Our next event is Hounds on the Heath on Hampstead Heath on 10th July. We would love to see you, and you can find more details here.