William Alexander team volunteer at Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare

Raystede is an animal charity based in Sussex that rescues animals from cruelty, neglect and abuse. Founded by the late Miss M. Raymonde-Hawkins MBE from her cottage in 1952, Raystede is one of the most diverse rescue centres in the UK caring for more than 1,200 vulnerable animals each year from their 43-acre site.

In May 2024, a team of four plucky volunteers from William Alexander turned up to spend a day helping at the centre, despite torrential rain falling from early morning and a threat that their activities would need to be cancelled.

Fortunately the Estate Team let the team stay and undertake a selection of maintenance and gardening tasks to keep the site presentable for people attending the Peaceways Pet Crematorium & garden of remembrance. This involved painting and preserving wood for use in the new woodland memorial walk and returfing the memorial garden.

Peaceways is England’s first pet crematorium, established in 1964 by Miss Raymonde-Hawkins. Since then, it has helped many people navigate the difficult journey of what to do when a pet dies and how best to remember them.  

Peaceways is managed by a small team so any extra hands are very welcomed!