First look at new RSPCA Animal Centre at Hollingworth Lake

Date published: 06 April 2022

Work on the Hollingworth Lake Animal Centre – the new home of the Rochdale and District RSPCA – is well underway.

The former visitors’ centre is being refurbished and extended to include a larger café (with a dog-friendly seating area), improved toilet facilities, upgraded reception and information area, plus a meeting room for community activities and new premises for the country park rangers.

The café and meeting room are currently being fitted and landscaping work will follow in the next few weeks. Pods for the centre’s cats have also been installed on-site.

David Canavan, vice-chair of trustees for the RSPCA's Rochdale branch, said: “We really appreciate the support we get from people in the community and from our donors.

“We have had a few delays because of the weather but in a few weeks, everything will look really good.”

Mr Canavan added: “More than a third of the facilities will be for the public including a new public café with a dog-friendly section, a meeting room, reception desk for information and renovated toilets.

“I hope visitors to Hollingworth Lake will value the new café, public meeting room and new facilities.”

Screens with pictures of wildlife and the animals available for adoption will also be installed around the centre and David hopes to set up a Friends group for the local animal rescue.

Planning permission for the new state-of-the-art facility was granted last year and is a partnership between Rochdale RSPCA, Rochdale Borough Council, YourTrust (formerly Link4Life), and Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH).

The Rochdale branch of the RSPCA was established in 1890 on Redcross Street. The Redcross Street site has been bought by RBH and will be developed for new homes in the town centre.

The new Hollingworth Lake Animal Centre is expected to open in the next few months and will allow the local branch to rehabilitate more wildlife than at its town centre location.