Round of a-paws! Bradford vets celebrate 20 years of helping local pets

09 September 2024

Hip hip hooray, three cheers for the vet team at Bradford’s PDSA Pet Hospital as it celebrates its 20th year of helping the city’s pets in need from its Lorne Street site. 

The Jeanne Marchig Centre on Lorne Street first opened in 2004 and has since provided more than 870,000 treatments

One of 49 PDSA Pet Hospitals in the UK, the talented team has treated sick and injured pets in need for two decades, providing a vital lifeline for local owners who are struggling to afford vet care.

To celebrate, a ‘paw-some’ group of colleagues took on a fundraising challenge to raise funds for the charity.

Led by Veterinary Nurse Team Leader, Abby Stanley-Jones, the team walked from their sister PDSA Pet Clinic in Huddersfield back to Bradford PDSA Pet Hospital, covering 11 miles.

Abby said: “We’re so proud to be celebrating 20 years of keeping people and pets together in Bradford.

“I’ve been at PDSA for nearly seven years and in that time, I can safely say no two days have ever been the same. It’s a great place to work!

“When it came to celebrating our big birthday we wanted to do something different and give back to the charity at the same time, so a group of us decided to take on a challenge.

“We had a great day and it was lovely to be out of the usual clinical environment to bond with the team.

“A huge thank you to everyone who sponsored us, we raised a total of £277).”

A brief history of PDSA in Bradford

From the first basic dispensary in London's Whitechapel, Maria Dickin took PDSA to other towns and cities by way of a horse-drawn ambulance, treating animals and educating adults and children in the proper care of them. During the 1920s and 30's motorised dispensaries covered up to 80 miles each day and permanent clinics were being established in towns and cities countrywide, of which Bradford was one.

The first mention of a PDSA dispensary in Bradford was in the 1931 Annual Report, which listed an address at 98 Leeds Road, but just six years later it had moved to Great Horton Street.

In 1946 Maria Dickin presented the White Cross of St Giles to Mrs Ineson, of Batley, for raising more than £500 towards the work in the area, notably in Leeds, Bradford and Batley.

PDSA continued to provide care for sick and injured animals in the area over the following decade but in the late 1950s it became apparent that the charity needed to find a new home.

A site was identified in nearby Batley and PDSA moved to a much larger house on Healey Lane. This facility was in use until the mid-nineties when the charity moved to a purpose-built hospital on Carlinghow Lane in Batley.

But a decade later the charity had outgrown the building and the decision was made to close the hospital and relocate to a new site in Bradford. The Jeanne Marchig Centre opened at 1 Lorne Street, East Bowling in May 2004. It boasted six consulting rooms, two operating theatres, waiting room, dispensary and separate recovery kennels for dogs and cats. The hospital benefitted from a substantial donation from the Marchig Animal Welfare Trust, and the hospital is named in honour of the trust founder, Madame Jeanne Marchig, who visited the hospital in June 2004 where she met staff and pet patients.

In 2009, work was carried out to change the layout of the working space.

The team at Bradford PDSA Pet Hosptial saw more than 10,000 pets in 2023 – that's an average of 125 pets a day. The service in the area costs PDSA more than £1.6 million to deliver annually and the charity relies entirely on generous public support.

100 years later and PDSA relies on donations to deliver life-saving treatment to hundreds of thousands of pets across its 49 Pet Hospitals in the UK.