A project to bring cats and dogs to visit isolated patients across the north has been granted National Lottery funding.
The Pets as Therapy charity, which brings animals into hospitals, hospices, care homes and schools to provide a welcome boost to vulnerable people, has been given almost £20,000 through the National Lottery Community Fund.
The funding will allow the organisation to expand its work to over 100 locations in Northern Ireland.
The charity’s Matthew Robinson said: “Visits from our volunteers and their wonderful pets improve health and wellbeing and reduce loneliness and isolation, not only for the people they visit but also for the volunteers themselves.”
He said the funding will allow the charity to recruit and train more volunteers, coordinators, and pet assessors in order to expand work across the north.
“We currently have 85 trained volunteers, but we have 30 on a waiting list which we can now train and coordinate to make regular visits to vulnerable people in the community, including in hospitals and care homes,” he said.
“Some of the people we visit in care settings may not have any other visitors so these special visits from friendly pets can give them a connection which is the highlight of their week. Pets As Therapy dogs also visit children in schools which helps promote a relaxing and nurturing environment. We know young people can improve their literacy skills and confidence through reading to the dogs.”
Other groups to benefit in the latest round of Lottery funding, worth £2m, include Horn of Africa People’s Aid Northern Ireland, which is receiving £20,000 to upgrade its facilities to allow young people to learn digital skills, and Repair and Share Foyle, which will use £20,000 to create a “tool and equipment library” and host repair workshops in Derry.
