TRUSTEES of a charity which provides homes for hundreds of animals can now plan for the future after receiving a £450,000 boost.

The Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary is safe for at least another year after a house in Walton Well Road, Jericho, was sold for £452,500 at an auction on Thursday.

The house was bequeathed to the Stadhampton-based charity by a former supporter, and went for £100,000 more than expected at the auction at Conference Centre Oxford in Park End Street.

Chairman of trustees Debbie Heath said the money should keep the sanctuary safe for about 12 months – but they needed to attract regular funding rather than having to rely on one-off donations.

She said: “We are thrilled.

“We will be able to get rid of all our debts now and we ‘ll be able to plan a future for the sanctuary, which is what we have not been able to do for quite a while.

“I don’t ever want to be in this position again.”

Manager Ron Heath said: “We’re really pleased but we still need those donations coming in. We’re all breathing a sigh of relief today and we are very, very happy.”

There are currently more than 200 animals being cared for at the sanctuary, and about 500 pass through its doors each year.

The sanctuary was on the brink of closure earlier this year when funds dried up, but an Oxford Mail appeal for help led to donations of more than £90,000.

It costs £10,000 per week to maintain the sanctuary, which looks after and rehouses rescued animals, including dogs, cats, rabbits, goats and guinea pigs.

Mrs Heath said: “I would like to thank everyone enormously because if they hadn’t come on board and donated that money, we would have been in very dire straits.”

Sanctuary accountant John Lord, of Brookwood Accountancy, said: “The trouble is there is no point in us just going out and spending this – what we’ve got to do is invest it and get more regular streams of income.”

Vivian Kirk left the four-bedroom Victorian semi-detached house to the sanctuary in his will when he died six years ago.

About six different bidders were vying to buy the house on Thursday, with the bidding starting at £250,000.

The property eventually went to Grace Tye, of Rawlinson Road, Oxford, who said she planned to renovate it either for herself or for her 18-year-old daughter.

She said: “I think it’s a lovely bonus that the money goes to a good cause.

“I used to run a charity so it is really nice and I think it will be lovely restoring a house to how it should look.”

The conference centre donated the auction venue free of charge and the property was marketed by Thomas Merrifield at a reduced rate.

To contribute to the sanctuary, visit oxfordshireanimal sanctuary.org.uk