STAFF at the Pets At Home stores in Chippenham and Trowbridge are backing a national Santa Paws appeal to raise money for pets in need at Christmas.

During the festive season, the staff will be inviting customers across the Wiltshire area to help them raise money to provide a Christmas dinner for rescue pets in need.

They are aiming to help the Support Adoption For Pets charity to reach its target to raise enough money to fund 2.4 million dinners for abandoned pets over Christmas.

Support Adoption For Pets Fundraising Manager, Amy Wilson said: “As a nation of animal lovers, with one in two Brits owning a pet, many of us like to spoil them, especially at Christmas. But not all pets are so lucky and face Christmas alone in a rescue centre.

“We are delighted to announce that once again we’ll be launching our annual Santa Paws appeal to ensure that rescue pets across the country can enjoy a Christmas dinner.

“We hope that the nation will dig deep and think of those pets who are unfortunate enough to find themselves without an owner this Christmas.”

The appeal launches on Friday, December 1 and runs until Sunday, December 24. Pets At Home store teams will be raising money for Bath Cats and Dogs Home rescue.

In total, 440 Pets At Home stores across the country are backing the Santa Paws Appeal by supporting their local animal rescue centres.

For those shopping in Pets At Home throughout December, the teams in Chippenham and Trowbridge will be giving customers the opportunity to support the Santa Paws appeal simply by donating 50p at the till point.

This will be enough to fund one Christmas dinner for a rescue pet. Animal lovers can also donate £3 by texting BOWL01 to 70070, or an amount of their choosing online at www.supportadoptionforpets.co.uk/santapaws

Support Adoption For Pets is a charity established by Pets At Home in 2006. Since then it has helped over 1,000 rehoming centres and pet rescue organisations across the UK through grant funding and support.

In addition to its fundraising work, it also runs dedicated adoption centres in over 440 Pets At Home stores.

To find out more about Support Adoption For Pets or to support the charity please visit www.supportadoptionforpets.co.uk