MAN’S £15,000 LEGACY TO BENEFIT ANIMALS AIDED BY ISLAND’S RSPCA

The Isle of Wight’s RSPCA branch has received a generous legacy donation from a man inspired by the work of the centre’s manager, Suzanne Pugh.

Alan Miller, who died suddenly in 2018, had followed Suzanne’s career in animal welfare for many years having first learned about her work while living in Canada.

At the time, Suzanne was running a large animal rescue centre in British Columbia and also lobbying for improved animal welfare standards. She also went on to become a trustee of the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council, a position she still holds today.

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Back in the UK, Alan volunteered for the Dorset Wildlife Trust and also for the National Trust on Brownsea Island, where he became close friends with Gerry and Pauline Smith. Alan left a large amount of money to charity in his will and Gerry and Pauline were tasked with donating funds to charities in his memory from the Alan Miller Charitable Trust.

Aware of his love of wildlife and admiration for Suzanne’s work both in Canada and the UK, they chose to donate £20,000, with £15,000 directed to the Isle of Wight branch to support domestic animals in its care and £5,000 designated for wildlife rehabilitation training through the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council.

Suzanne, who returned to the UK in 2018 to take up the IW RSPCA branch manager role said:

“It is humbling to know that Alan was so inspired by my work and I am sorry that we never had the opportunity to meet as I would have loved to have shown him around the centre.

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“The generous donation has come at such a good time as we are still trying to recover financially from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Although affiliated to the national RSPCA, our Island branch is stand-alone, so we need to raise our own funds to look after the animals in our care. Alan’s legacy gift will help us enormously in our work and we are very grateful for the kind and generous donation.”

Pauline said:

“Our friendship with Alan developed over a shared love of wildlife while volunteering on Brownsea Island near Poole.

“After he passed away we had the responsibility of donating his estate to charity and it felt fitting that some of his funds went towards helping animals. Knowing of his admiration for Suzanne’s work we felt it was only right that it went to the RSPCA Branch which she manages on the Isle of Wight.”