Jollyes donates £5,000 to retired service animals charity, kickstarting nationwide partnership
Jollyes has donated £5,000 to the National Foundation for Retired Service Animals (NFRSA), following the start of its fundraising campaign for the charity in October.
The NFRSA supports the care and welfare of retired service animals from the emergency services, including the police, fire brigade, border force, National Crime Agency, NHS, and prison services.
Retired service animals often receive no additional funds for their care once their working lives end. With affordable insurance being largely unavailable due to their age and specialist training, medical and veterinary bills can be a significant challenge for their owners.
The NFRSA’s mission is to bridge this gap, helping keep retired animals with the families who cared for them during their working years. By assisting with medical costs, the charity ensures these animals can remain with their loving families. Since its launch in 2022, the NFRSA has provided over £100,000 in grants to support retired service animals.
As part of its commitment to “The Pet People” ethos, Jollyes began working with the NFRSA to support its vital work in helping these incredible animals as they age.
Over the next 12 months, Jollyes stores will raise funds for the NFRSA through in-store collection boxes. To amplify the effort, Jollyes is matching all customer donations. Today’s £5,000 donation includes contributions from customers, alongside a matched donation from Jollyes.
To celebrate the partnership, Jollyes has featured images of retired service animals supported by the NFRSA on community boards in its stores. Retired service animals have even taken part in opening new Jollyes stores as special VIP guests. At recent openings in Leyland, Cardiff, and East Kilbride, retired service animals delighted customers by biting through strings of sausages to declare each store open.
Funds raised through the Jollyes partnership will help the NFRSA establish regional hubs across the UK to support local fundraising and assistance for retired service animals.
The initial donation has also enabled the NFRSA to produce and sell a 2025 calendar featuring some of the beautiful animals the charity supports. Sales of the calendar have already raised £10,000.
NFRSA founder, The Countess Bathurst, said:
“We are incredibly grateful to the wonderful Jollyes for welcoming the NFRSA into their family. The ethos of Jollyes is the care and well-being of pets across the UK, and as a charity, we share that same passion. The year ahead means we can work together to ensure our heroic retired service animals are guaranteed the happy, safe, and above all, healthy retirement they deserve.”
Jollyes chief executive officer, Joe Wykes, added:
“It’s been a great start to our partnership with the Foundation. Our colleagues and customers understand the importance of the work they do for the animals who spend their working lives protecting us.”
