THE West Devon base of animal charity Margaret Green Animal Rescue has been overwhelmed by support from local people at Christmas.

Margaret Green Animal Rescue, which has its Wingletang centre near Brentor, has expressed its best wishes and thanks to the local community for their incredible response to the charity's Christmas shoe box appeal.

Companies and individuals across the county collected treats and toys for the rescued animals and put them in a shoe box which formed a gift for a rescue pet on Christmas day.

Thanks to support for the appeal, every dog or cat that was in the rescue centre on Christmas day received their very own special parcel.

Niki and Alan Ging of Wingletang said: 'It was truly wonderful to see the dogs and cats enjoying their new toys on Christmas Day. Just because they have not yet found their forever homes, it didn't mean they had to miss out on all the fun of Christmas.'

The charity wishes to thank all those who took part, whether you collected items for a box, collected shoe boxes at a drop off point or asked your colleagues and friends to get involved.

Niki and Alan added: 'We are so grateful to have the support of our local community, thank you so much from all of us, especially those with four legs!'

Margaret Green Animal Rescue would like to wish everybody a very happy and prosperous New Year. 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the charity and it hopes to celebrate this milestone at special events throughout the year.