OREANDA-NEWS. A team of colleagues from Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission (SHE Transmission) has set out with dogged determination to help make life a little happier for the residents at the Greyhound Rescue Centre Fife.

The four strong team used their Be the Difference day to assist in the grooming, walking and feeding of the dogs at the centre which is based in the Baltree Country Park near Gairneybank, Kinross. They also used their day to help with the maintenance of the kennels and grounds, but it was the addition of one team member that really made the day special.

Last year, team member Coreen Campbell had volunteered at the centre for her Be the Difference day and while there decided to give a home to Rocky. This year she and Rocky returned to see Celia and Jimmy Fernie who run the rescue centre and spend some time helping out with the dogs who are currently on the waiting list for a new home.

Coreen said: “When I was part of the team volunteering last year, I knew I couldn’t leave without one of these lovely dogs and I was lucky enough to be able to give Rocky a loving home. Celia and Jimmy do so much – caring for around 50 greyhounds and lurchers that are waiting to be rehomed. I really wanted to bring Rocky with me to show them how happy we are and to let other prospective owners know how great these dogs are. They haven’t always had a happy life, so Celia and Jimmy play a vital role in giving them that and finding new forever homes for them.”

Celia and Jimmy set up Greyhound Rescue Fife in 2005 in response to the sheer number of unwanted greyhounds reaching the end of their racing careers in the area. Over the years they’ve rehomed around 900 dogs and currently house around 50 greyhounds and lurchers, as well as having a growing list of dogs waiting to get in to the centre. 

The couple have had the support of SHE Transmission before, as Jimmy explains: “As well as volunteering at the centre through the company’s Be the Difference days, SHE Transmission helped to give us a real boost last year. We had entered a competition for charities that had a donation of ?50,000 for the ten charities with the most votes. When Irene Black, who is part of the team volunteering today, heard about it she encouraged all of her friends, family and colleagues to vote for us – we missed making the top ten by just one vote, but were so close that we were awarded a consolation prize of ?45,000 which we’ve used to renovate and refurbish our kennels.”

Celia added: “We’re delighted by the support we continue to receive through SHE Transmission and it was especially lovely to see Rocky again; happy and healthy and loving his new life with Coreen.”

Since the launch of SSE's ‘Be the Difference’ volunteering programme, it has helped over 2,500 projects, with SHE Transmission’s employees dedicating their time to projects that matter in the communities where they live and work.