It's our 100th anniversary, so we’re looking back on the amazing things our supporters have helped us achieve for pets and their people.
We’ve come a long way since 1924, but our determination to help pets in need has never changed.
Woodgreen’s story started with our incredible founder, Miss Louisa Snow. Back in 1924, when the First World War had just ended, London’s streets were filled with homeless pets. Heartbroken by what she saw, Louisa decided to take action and opened a shelter.
After Louisa passed away a decade later, the shelter ran into financial trouble and faced the threat of closure. Thankfully, animal-lover Dr Margaret Young stepped in and turned things around. And she had big ambitions for the future – transforming how we help pets in need.
Heartbroken by the shocking number of pets suffering on London’s streets after the First World War, Miss Louisa Snow opened Wood Green Animal Shelter.
After Louisa passed away, the shelter was thrown into chaos and debts started piling up. Fortunately, Dr Margaret Young stepped in and saved it from closure.
Dr Young opened a centre in the country for stray and unwanted animals – providing rehabilitation to pets brought into our London centre. It was a game-changer for our cats!
With a growing need to expand, we bought a farm in Cambridgeshire. Today, it’s known as our Godmanchester Centre, where we care for thousands of dogs, cats and small pets every year.
Our ‘Hands-On’ scheme was launched – teaching responsible pet ownership, as well as being there for pet owners in the community. This evolved into our Community Services, which are an integral part of our work today.
Our kennels were rebuilt to provide a much better temporary home for our dogs. We also unveiled a state-of-the-art new veterinary surgery, which has proven to be invaluable for pets in need.
We proudly became the home of Channel 4’s The Dog House – showcasing our work to audiences around the world!
We opened our state-of-the-art Snowden Cat Care Centre – helping us care for 50% more cats at Woodgreen.
Since then, we’ve grown into a charity which helps thousands of pets and people every year through a wide range of services and facilities. And we’ve achieved some major milestones along the way, thanks to our supporters.
A hundred years is a long time, but the challenges people face with their pets are as relevant today as they were in 1924. The difference now is that we’ve changed the way we help pet owners.
Looking to the future, we’re excited about focusing more on our prevention work – helping pets and people before they reach crisis point.
We want to celebrate this milestone with as many people as possible, and you can get involved! If you’ve ever rehomed, fostered or sponsored a pet, or volunteered with us, we want to hear from you. Whatever you’d like to share about your experience and why you support Woodgreen – we’re all ears. Of course, if you just want to show some love for our work, that’s welcome too!
Get in touch below or reach out through one of our social media channels.
