A GROUP dedicated to rescuing abandoned greyhounds and lurchers has now raised £40,000 towards a new base.
Tia Greyhound And Lurcher Rescue is to lose its current base in Sowerby Bridge and has set up a fundraising appeal to find a new home.
The land is owned by Yorkshire Water, which wants to redevelop the site.
At first, organisers Deborah Rothery and partner Bob Laurie were looking for somewhere to rent.
But nowhere suitable has been found and so they set up a fundraising appeal in June to buy a building and land.
That account has now reached more than £40,000 - including a recent £5,200 boost, which came from a raffle and a meal and auction at the Cinnamon Lodge in Meltham, which was attended by 130 people.
The auction - run by Mark Bajerski who owns the Exhibit furniture shop in Marsh - featured everything from store vouchers to meals out and even a car service.
The auction alone raised £2,000.
Tia fundraising organiser Susan Dawson said: "We have fantastic support in Huddersfield and it would be great if we could find a suitable property here, but we are looking throughout West Yorkshire.
"We need a house, outbuildings we can convert into kennels and land where we can exercise the dogs.
"People have pledged money which they will give us once we find a new home."
She said the charity - named after the first dog it ever rescued - could now take 80 dogs and its kennels were always full with other dogs being fostered out or put in boarding kennels.
Mrs Dawson said greyhounds were abandoned if they did not make the grade on the race track, if they became injured or their careers had finished.
