It’s no secret that we at Harper’s Candles are animal lovers at heart. It is incredibly important that even as a small company, we stick to our beliefs that whilst we still have bills to pay and like going on holiday as much as everyone else, business should not be all about profits, expansion and trying to take over the world. We’ve all had enough bad jobs to appreciate the value in doing something we love and trying to include some of the things we believe in. So these are the charities that we actively support and give money to.
We predominantly support a bitter resentment of animal testing, hence our carrying the Vegan Society trademark, and an absolute love for rescue animals, championing the need for people to adopt and not shop. It is fundamental to us that buying puppies and kittens makes rescue animals invisible. We believe that rescue animals are not the second class citizens of the animal world. It is a myth that they are all damaged and unsuitable. The majority of rescue animals are simply brave, beautiful souls who have fallen on hard times and are simply looking for a new place and a new family to call home. Our own families and children have lived for years with rescue animals and to our certain knowledge not one of them has been eaten.
Whilst rescue animals may not be your thing, we trust that you will appreciate the sentiments behind what we are trying to do and hope that it brings a smile to your face to at least support an independent business that consistently believes in something.
The Hull Animal Welfare Trust is very close to the heart of this business. This is where Flora, the Harper’s Candles Jack Russell, came from in 2005 as a six week old puppy who had been thrown away. Since it opened in 1982, this busy rescue has rescued and re-homed tens of thousands of animals and today averages the rescue and re-homing of around one thousand animals a year. These include dogs, cats, rabbits and guinea pigs.
In 2017 another landmark relationship began as Bert (the Harper’s Candles ‘Little Black Cat’) was adopted into the fold. Bert spent most of her four month stay with Hull Animal Welfare Trust at the vets in isolation with her three sisters being treated for cat flu and ringworm, before being moved to the rescue to rehabilitate and become infection free. So this is a rescue willing to put a great deal of resources at the disposal of even the smallest animal and for all the time they need to become stronger and well enough to go to their new home.
We are proud to support this rescue and it’s core values:
– No healthy animal is ever destroyed.
– No animal in distress is ever turned away or any call unanswered.
– With the shelter open 365 days per year, 11am to 2pm no appointment necessary.
– Care is taken to match the right animal with the right home.
– Neutering programmes are at the heart of our operation so the unwanted animal problem is tackled at source.
– Maximum monies raised and donated go directly to the care and attention of the animals with the minimum in administration & overheads.
Harper’s Candles donates money and candles to The Hull Animal Welfare Trust. We also sponsor a kennel and a cat run. Our social media promotes some of their rescue animals who seem to be finding it a little harder to find a new home by helping everyone get to know them a little better and encouraging our followers to share the posts. The right person is always out there. Sometimes they’re just a little harder to find… and it seems a shame to just use our media to talk about candles.
In 2013 Victoria Bryceson found a five-day-old puppy in Borneo and instantly dedicated every moment of her time there to help her fight for survival. Against all odds the puppy did survive, prompting Victoria to name her Miracle and bring her back to the UK. In fact Miracle was so teeny that the teddy she is hugging in the photograph you can see here was taken from a keyring! By 2015 that tiny puppy had a charity named after her and Victoria has since poured herself into it.
Miracle’s Mission is a UK based organisation dedicated to protecting animals around the world. Funded entirely by their own events and the generosity of public donations, it is busy setting up its first major project in northern Borneo.
Too many strays competing for too few homes and resources has resulted in thousands of un-neutered dogs and cats roaming the streets of Borneo. The result is an over-population crisis that can only be humanely solved through neutering. Having to compete for food, water and shelter on a daily basis means that these animals lead short and difficult lives. The primary aim of Miracle’s Mission is to prevent suffering and neglect with a Trap, Neuter, Release and Manage program and any animals in distress are taken in and treated. Those who are suitable for adoption are found homes. The charity is managed by volunteers and receive no government or grant funding.
Harper’s Candles donates money and candles to Miracle’s Mission and supports both the Northern Vegan Festival, the Great Yorkshire Vegan Festival and Winterfest, the events at the heart of its funding. We also run giveaways on our social media in competitions to name some of the animals that find their way into their care. We do not care that the animals that Miracle’s Missions save are not in the UK. Quite frankly, the animals don’t care because they just need help. We’re not precious about the help we give – so long as we do. We know that with Miracle’s Mission 100% of what we donate goes directly to the animals and makes an enormous difference.
Please click on the logos to find out more about these lovely charities.