This International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating the incredible women who make Bristol Animal Rescue Centre such a special place. From hands-on animal care to running vital projects, their dedication, compassion, and leadership touch every part of our work.
To mark the occasion, we asked three amazing women from our team the same questions:
Questions we asked:
- What advice would you give to young women considering a career in animal welfare?
- Do you have a female role model (in the charity/animal world or beyond) who inspires you?
- What’s one thing you’ve learned from working with animals that also applies to life?
Meet Jodie – Animal Home Manager
Q1: Go for it! It will challenge you in ways many other careers don’t, but the satisfaction that can be gained from it is worth it. It’s physically and mentally hard, but if you have a strong heart and a strong stomach and don’t just love animals but want to make a difference to and for animals, then it is the career for you.
Q2: Sounds very random but I am inspired by myself – having done this for over 25 years I have seen lots of things that I wouldn’t wish on others, but remain positive, proactive and ready for the next task ahead. I am someone who enjoys Mondays and knowing that I make a difference every day.
Q3: “Things can always get better with the right help and support”– animal care and welfare is no different!
Meet Flame – Clinic Nurse Assistant
Q1: My main piece of advice would be to volunteer as much as you can to get your foot in the door, and to never stop trying to learn and grow your knowledge of animals.
Q2: I feel like this is a pretty basic answer, but my female role model is Bindi Irwin. I think that she brings animals that aren’t typically cute and cuddly to the media and gives people the opportunity to learn about species they otherwise wouldn’t have heard of.
Q3: Resilience – not everything goes the way you planned, and it is definitely not always easy, but you keep going because there’s always another animal that needs your help.
Meet Jess – Volunteer Coordinator
Q1: My first experience in animal welfare was as a Cattery Volunteer around 10 years ago. After a childhood filled with dreams of working with animals, volunteering showed me I’d finally landed in the right place. I had no formal qualifications in the area, but volunteering opened the door to developing practical skills, learn about charity operations, and surrounding myself with experts who then became my mentors. I would say to anyone with ambitions for a career in animal welfare that volunteering is an absolutely fantastic way to begin your journey and to develop skills in the field.
Q2:A former head of department who was a superlative leader, both to our team and as a contributor to the animal welfare organisation I worked for. She had an enormous influence on the values I developed as a professional, and these formed a working philosophy which I am proud to bring to my current practice. She showed that, in a rescue environment, caring for each other is as important as caring for the animals we look after, and I shall never forget the generous knowledge she shared with me.
Q3:
I am moved every day by the tireless dedication of my colleagues and by the unwavering positivity they offer each of our animals, regardless of their presentation or temperament. And the one thing that working in animal rescue has taught me that applies to life is that no matter how challenging the behaviour in front of you may seem, if you look at the underlying reasons, and respond with compassion, it can be transformative.
