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Gail Windsor runs the Broughton Branch which was the first to be set up by the centres' founder in 1961. It's the largest centre of the group and the headquarters and often holds more than 60 dogs all looking for new homes.

The Jerry Green Foundation Trust was set up so that stray and abandoned dogs could find a new home. Not all of the centres take in strays and the Broughton centre is one of these. This is because the responsibility of dealing with strays is dependant on what contracts exist between the local authorities and other agencies.

Nonetheless, Gail says that circumstances sometime mean she will sometimes intervene if there's no-one else to come to an animals aid.

Looking after animals is something Gail has always wanted to do. Forbidden to have a Great Dane as a young girl, she hoped that one day she would find a way to look after animals.

She now has her dream job working with animals on a daily basis, although her early career didn't start here. After leaving school she worked in a variety of jobs, some of which took her to other parts of the country including London.

Before starting with the Jerry Green Foundation Trust, as a young mother with responsibilities she found it hard to give up relatively well paid jobs to pursue her dream career.

Almost unexpectedly, an opportunity arose to work at the Broughton centre working in the kennels. Although taking on the job meant she would be on a quarter of the salary she'd come to expect, she says it was an opportunity too good to miss.

Not content with her role, as she's always harboured the ambition of owning her own centre (an ambition she admits hasn't been realised) butΜύ this is as close as she can get. She's now running the centre and says that is certainly close enough. She's worked her way up through the system having learned new skills along the way including dog behaviour training and is trained in animal welfare techniques.

The main picture is of Gail and the centre's maintenance officer Anthony Rhodes. He started working at the centre after he retired and is the centre's unofficial photographer. The photograph also features Gail's dogs, Ben, the Border Collie and also Kita the Irish Wolfhound who was taken in after the owner could no longer cope. Gail always wanted a Great Dane but when Kita came along it was love a first sight. Buzz is Anthony's Springer Spaniel.

The centre is funded by public donations and bequests, although some fundraising activities are undertaken by local members of the community keen to support the work of the centre which attracts a large number of visitors.