Charity counts cost of damage to shop sign after Storm Darragh

Skegness was hit by rain and winds gusting up to 54mph on Sunday morning – with festive events cancelled and even North Shore Golf Course being forced to close.

Notification of the damage to the Keith’s Rescue Dogs sign was received by the shop manager, Tracy Gibson, after being tagged in a post on social media by Artisan Coffee Design, which is opposite in Lumley Road.

On Monday, the sign was lying in pieces at the side of the shop while trustees decided how they will replace it at what is a challenging time of year for all charities.

"Getting tagged was the first we knew about it and so we went along to have a look,” recalled Tracy. “There is damage to the sign itself and so we have to discuss how we are going to replace it.

"It’s an expense we could do without. Like all charities, Christmas is a challenging time of year.

"We are fortunate that we are a popular local charity. People still remember Keith Smith who founded it 25 years ago and his legacy lives on.

"We are small but the cheapest charity shop in town too and people come back to us.

"It would be amazing if someone could help with this.”

Generally the charity, which rescues dogs from across Lincolnshire, has between 10 and 15 dogs in kennels.

"We aim for a quick turnaround rather than homing the dogs long-term but this comes at a cost,” explained Tracy.

"Each dog costs £12 a day to keep in kennels and we also have to cover vet bills so we need continued support.”

Currently the charity has one shop that it rents in Skegness but also does additional fundraising. Its next fundraiser will be at a Christmas market event being held at the Marine Boathouse in Skegness on Friday December 20 from 4pm to 9pm.

You can also make a donation online at https://www.keithsrescuedogs.org.uk/

• If you would like to rehome a dog, call 01205 750197.