Animals In Distress joins Voucher Magpie: how your shopping can help rescued animals in Greater Manchester

Animals In Distress has joined Voucher Magpie. From today, you can choose it as your cause, and whenever you shop through one of our codes or deals, we'll give 50% of the commission the shop pays us to the charity. You pay the same price and still get your discount.

Animals In Distress rescues and cares for sick, injured and abandoned animals across Greater Manchester and the surrounding area. It runs two sanctuaries and relies on donations and its charity shop to pay for rescues, vet treatment and daily care.

At a glance

• Who: Animals In Distress, registered charity 515886, with sanctuaries at Irlam in Salford and on Swaindrod Lane near Littleborough.
• What it does: runs a 24-hour emergency rescue, treats and nurses injured animals, gives long-term sanctuary to those that can't be rehomed, and finds checked homes for the rest.
• How to help through us: choose Animals In Distress on its page, then shop as normal.
• What it costs you: nothing. The money comes out of our commission, not your basket.

Rescuing animals since 1967

Animals In Distress was founded in 1967 to ease the suffering of sick and injured animals. It grew from a small rescue effort into a charity offering emergency rescue, vet treatment and sanctuary care, and was entered on the Charity Commission register in December 1984. Its Irlam sanctuary has been running since the 1980s.

Its aim, as the register puts it, is to care for and protect animals of all kinds that are sick, mistreated or in poor circumstances, and so prevent cruelty and suffering. It works across Greater Manchester, from Wigan and Bolton to Rochdale, Oldham and Stockport.

What Animals In Distress does today

The Irlam sanctuary runs a 24-hour emergency service, 365 days a year. Most of its cases come from road accidents, and owners are rarely found. The police, dog wardens, other animal societies and the public all call it out. Animals are treated and nursed, then neutered, microchipped and rehomed or released. The charity says a broken leg can cost well over £300 to treat and a single X-ray over £80.

The Littleborough sanctuary, known as the Field of Dreams, takes overflow cats and dogs from Irlam, especially in summer. It also takes older and injured horses, wildlife, birds, goats, sheep, pigs, reptiles and other animals that are hard to place elsewhere. Some stay for life, and supporters can sponsor one.

Every new home is checked before an animal goes to it. The charity says older animals, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Rottweilers, Greyhounds and black-and-white cats are often overlooked. The Charity Commission register lists 18 employees, 5 trustees and 33 volunteers, and income of £536,472 for the year to 31 March 2025.

How your shopping helps: a worked example

Say you spend £50 a month on pet food and supplies at a shop that pays us 4% commission. That's £2.00 commission, and £1.00 of it goes to Animals In Distress. Over a year, £12 comes from shopping you were doing anyway.

If 100 supporters did the same, Animals In Distress would get £1,200 a year. Commission rates differ from shop to shop, and some shops pay more on certain products, so your own total may be higher or lower.

What you can do now

1. Choose Animals In Distress. Go to its page on Voucher Magpie and tap Choose. You don't need an account; we remember it on your device.
2. Shop for your own animals through us. Pets at Home has 25% off selected Burgess small animal food, with free standard delivery over £40. Petlibro has 20% off all bundles of its feeders and fountains, and free UK delivery on orders of £50 or more. For horse owners, GS Equestrian has a sale on riding wear, country clothing and horse kit, with free UK delivery on orders of £75 or more.
3. Use it for everything else too. Clothes, holidays, broadband and gifts all count, so Animals In Distress gains whenever you shop through us.
4. Volunteer. Use the form on its contact page and pick Volunteering as the subject.
5. Donate goods or money. Its Support Us page lists the food, hay, bedding and cleaning supplies the sanctuaries need; get in touch first to check what is most needed. Its Irlam charity shop takes clothes, books and household items. You can also give through PayPal, or call a sanctuary to sponsor an animal.

Questions

Does choosing Animals In Distress cost me anything?

No. The shop pays us a commission for sending it your order, and we give half of it to Animals In Distress. Your price and your discount stay the same.

When does Animals In Distress get the money?

A shop confirms a sale, usually 30 to 90 days after the order, once the return period has passed. We pay each cause its confirmed commission every quarter.

Can I go to Animals In Distress for help myself?

If you've found a sick, injured or abandoned animal, its contact page gives an emergency rescue number to call, rather than using the contact form. If you'd like to adopt, ring the Irlam sanctuary between 10am and 4pm to book an appointment. Adopters must be over 21 and may be asked for ID and proof of address.

Can I change my cause later?

Yes, any time, from any cause's page. Your future shopping then goes to the new cause.

Sources: Animals In Distress, about us, adopt an animal, support us, contact, Charity Commission: charity 515886