Former 1960s model, Celia Hammond, has devoted her life to improving the welfare of cats and dogs in the UK, and over the last four decades we have rehomed more than 73,500 stray, abandoned, and unwanted animals in London and neighbouring counties, and our neutering work has prevented the unnecessary birth of millions of unwanted animals.

On 21 February 2026, Celia Hammond Animal Trust celebrates its 40th anniversary and to commemorate this huge milestone we have embarked on a project to build a dedicated, and much-needed, rescue and rehoming centre adjacent to our existing veterinary clinic in Lewisham, South East London.

About the project

Our new, dedicated rescue and rehoming centre is being built on land already owned by Celia Hammond Animal Trust, and will…

• Provide spacious and easy-to-clean facilities, and allow us to care for up to 160 rescue animals on site at any given time

• Feature a built-in ventilation system to combat the spread of airborne infections eg cat flu

• Open 7-days a week for visitors seeking to adopt animals

• Unlock space in our existing main veterinary building and enable us to increase our provision of low-cost veterinary services for pets belonging to low-income owners, which are in huge demand in the face of high private vet fees and cost of living pressures

• Be capable of accommodating corporate volunteer, community, and school groups

Once operational, our new rescue and rehoming centre on Friendly Street will secure the future of our Lewisham hub for decades to come.

Funding

Our new rescue and rehoming centre in Lewisham will cost approximately £1.5 million to build.

Phases 1 and 2A of the project have been funded by legacy gifts. Phase 1 of the building works has been completed, and phase 2A works are to commence shortly.

We are now fundraising to pay for phase 2B, the construction of the main two-storey building, which will cost £495,749.

How you can help

Despite our best efforts, we continue to experience the devastating effects of an increasing unneutered cat population, and each year need to find homes for around 1,900 unwanted and abandoned animals.

Whether it is £10, £20, £30 or more, please donate whatever you can afford as we really do need your help in funding phase 2B of our rescue and rehoming centre building project in Lewisham, South East London.

Thank you for being part of our 40-year journey and for helping us continue to care for animals who need us most.

Our achievements

Since 1995, we have provided essential low-cost veterinary care to pets belonging to low-income owners, and during which time we have…

• vaccinated more than 566,800 cats and dogs

• carried out over 489,400 veterinary consultations for cats and dogs

• neutered more than 464,800 cats and dogs

• performed over 137,400 other veterinary surgeries and procedures (non-neutering)

Our frontline emergency rescue work continues to this day - responding to calls from local authorities, police, and the public - collecting strays as well as animals from backstreet breeders, multi-cat households, and welfare situations, and neutering the animals at our clinics.

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