Beagles About!

A tenant at Coulters Hill Cottage on the Needwood estate in Staffordshire has been providing a valuable national service for the past nine years. Beagle Welfare is a registered charity managed by volunteers which cares for, rehabilitates and re-homes pedigree beagles with deserving owners nationwide. No fewer than 2,163 beagles have been successfully re-homed by the charity since the organisation moved into the Duchy property in 2011.

In February 2020, a new purpose-built kennel block was opened on site in a building funded by a legacy left to the organisation by long-time supporter Jerry Meeks. The new facility, which is designed to provide the dogs with space for indoor exercise and one-to-one training, was funded by the Fuller family in memory of their late son Will, a keen supporter of the charity and its work.

Commenting on the work of the charity, national secretary Linda Thomas said: “Beagle Welfare was founded in 1979 at a time when people were becoming concerned about the number of pedigree dogs flooding general rescue organisations. Since we secured the lease on Coulters Hill Cottage in 2011 this has become our national re-homing centre and we currently employ two full-time and two part-time staff who are supported by a team of experienced volunteers. Our purpose is to prevent mistreatment and cruelty while encouraging responsible ownership of beagles across Great Britain.”

The Duchy’s Head of Rural Carol Hawkey added: “We applaud the good work of the Beagle Welfare charity over the last 10 years and congratulate them on their successful business model. Animal welfare is a key concern for the Duchy and we welcome any initiative which supports high standards of care and educates owners as to their responsibilities in looking after their animals. Linda and her team have done an excellent job and we look forward to continuing to support their work in the future.”

Coulters Hill Cottage is on the Duchy’s Needwood estate in Staffordshire. The estate covers some 2,976 hectares and includes historic woodland, a mix of 45 arable, dairy, sheep and beef farms, around 50 residential properties and 58 commercial, sporting and miscellaneous lettings.