Once upon a time, five animal crazy lasses sat round a table, eating pizza and trying to come up with a good name for a new animal charity based in the Borough of Richmond. Many names were batted around and rejected, such as Twickenham Animal Rescue Team (T.A.R.T.) but we decided that being 'TART's' was not really giving the right impression! In reference to Noah's Ark and with the 'C' replacing with 'K', the name of Animal Rescue & Care was suggested and instantly voted as the number one choice. The 'bunny & cat' characters of our logo were chosen to represent not only the animals but also a union of friends and colleagues who had worked together for nearly nine years, within the animal welfare field.

So in December of 2001, with pizza and wine heartily consumed, ARC Animal Rescue & Care, was born!

Before Christmas was upon us, we had already taken in and re-homed our first ARC baby, in the shape of a little B&W kitten. Fundraising also began in earnest with carol singing around Donna's neighbourhood in Whitton. Collection boxes, buckets, and leaflets were quickly produced and with a swell of about 20 harmonious carollers, young and old, two-legged and four-legged, we set about singing our hearts out and raising £106 in the process!

In January 2002, we had our first official meeting, where we set about the 'serious' business of building the first blocks of A.R.C. We began the process of opening a bank account, obtaining a P.O. Box, becoming a registered charity, raising funds, producing forms and literature and discussing our policies and goals.

One of our main objectives was to try and maintain an open, friendly and positive environment to work in. We wanted to work closely as a team, sharing all aspects of administration and welfare, whilst maintaining our feelings of enthusiasm and fun. We all agreed that this was the best way to help the animals successfully.

The rest is history and nearly 6 years later, with the help of all our members, supporters, volunteers and many generous members of the public, ARC has helped over 2000 animals.