Gala Bingo has raised £6,800 as a result of a festive charity livestream for Thornberry Animal Sanctuary, the Yorkshire-based charity that has rescued thousands of dogs, cats, rabbits and horses during its over 30 year history.

The company joined forces with the sanctuary and RSPCA ambassador Pete Wicks to host a Facebook livestream to raise the money, as well as giving out a variety of prizes such as Christmas hampers, restaurant vouchers and a £500 shopping voucher.

In excess of 11,000 viewers tuned into the two hour livestream, with its social reach exceeding 32,000 people. Over £6500 was raised for Thornberry Animal Sanctuary, £5000 of which was donated by Gala Bingo.

Ged Jenkins-Omar, Thornberry’s fundraising and marketing manager, explained: “We tend to see an increase in dogs coming into the sanctuary in January, however we also see an increase a few months later when people realise how difficult and time consuming their new pet can be.” 

“Our policy is non-judgemental and we never shame people who bring in their animals to the sanctuary – after all, if you can’t look after your pet for whatever reason, the most responsible thing is to bring it to a place where it can get the care it deserves whilst we find them a more suitable home.”

This campaign followed research carried out by by The Leadership Factor on behalf of Gala Bingo, which showed that two in five (42%) dog owners admit to having given up a dog in the past, with one in 25 (4%) of the Brits who’ve given up dogs choosing to abandon them and leave them as strays.

After analysing YouGov data, the study also reveals that prospective dog owners are most likely to buy dogs from breeders (35%), while only one in five (21%) adopt from shelters.

Karina Adrian, head of brand marketing at Gala Bingo, added: “We wanted to support a small charity with our Christmas campaign and we were delighted to work with Pete Wicks and Thornberry Animal Sanctuary to bring awareness to this important cause.

“We’re so thrilled with how well the livestream went. A huge thank you is in order for Ged and the Thornberry team for all their hard work during the livestream and throughout the year, looking after vulnerable animals. Thank you to Pete Wicks too, and especially to all the generous people who donated to this great cause!”