大象传媒 - Coventry and Warwickshire Features

We're a nation of animal lovers, we British. Well over three-quarters of us have - or had - a pet and we spend a fortune on feeeding them, grooming them and entertaining them.

If, like me, you're a serial pet owner, you will probably think you know all there is to know - but it takes lots of hard work to learn about our furry, feathered and scaly friends and there are a number of reasons you'd need to learn too.

Taking the love of animals one step further and deciding to do it as a career needs a lot of dedication and lots of hard work but it is hugely rewarding and paves the way for a very satisfying working life - according to a group of students who have decided to tread the animal path.

The Animal Care students at Warwickshire College's Moreton Morrell centre, do, in fact, care for their charges so much, they have decided to make 2003 a charity year and will combine their studies with raising as much as possible to help creatures in need.

We went to see the students and spoke to them about why they voted for certain charities. Plus, take a closer look at them and their work with our gallery

The group, who are based at the Animal Welfare Centre, took a vote on which charities to support. They had to choose charities from five different sections: Dogs/Training, Rescue, Small/Exotic Animals, Wildlife and a local charity.

After some serious head-scratching, the students decided to plump for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, The Retired Greyhound Trust, the Blue Cross, the Wildlife Trust and Birmingham's Donkey Sanctuary.

The groups will be organising a range of events through the year to raise cash for their chosen charities, as well as spending some time volunteering for the Wildlife Trust and at Hampton Wood.

Among the activities the group have organised are a fun dog show on 10 May, a sponsored dog walk at Ryton Pools on 14 June and various other fun things like cake sales, car washes and guessing the baby competitions!

The students will have their work cut out as they come up with individual fundraising ideas, but as they chose the beneficiaries themselves, they are sure to come up trumps!

Catrin Smith, aged 16, comes from Kenilworth and she loves being at college as it gives her a chance to work directly with the animals she loves.

"I'm going to do a sponsored silence to raise money for the charities," she said.

Joining her with a finger over her lips will be Sophie Symonds, also 16, of Kenilworth, who wants to stay quiet to help the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association - a charity particularly close to her heart as she has always wanted to work there.

Student Lynette Griffin, who's from Kingsbury, has always wanted to work with animals and the 16-year-old is hoping her Animal Care studies will provide the springboard she needs to become a vet.

One of the charities she selected was the Birmingham Dogs Home, where she got her own pet pooch, but even though it didn't make the final list, she is still dedicated to raising as much as possible for the chosen charities.

Danni Reynolds, a reptiles fan, enjoys her course because she gets to work with all kinds of animals, "from cockroaches to cows"!

The 17-year-old, who comes from Rugby, wants to set up her own dog grooming business, chose the Birmingham Donkey Santuary as her favourite charity.

"I voted for the Donkey Sanctuary because they always get missed out among the cats and dogs- and donkeys are very interesting to learn about too!"

Stephen Phipps hopes to be a zoo keeper when he completes his studies. The 21-year-old from Nuneaton, selected the Retired Greyhound Trust.

"I chose the greyhound trust because of the mistreatment these dogs suffer when they are no longer useful," he said, "they are also my favourite breed of dog!"

For more information on the college's special events, contact or keep returning to this page, where we will feature regular updates.

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