I am a rescuer. A re-homer of things.

If you asked my mum what I do she would say, “… she rescues broken animals”, and this is true.

I have an innate need to rescue damaged things, unwanted things and things that need or deserve a second chance (including to list a few) hedgehogs, injured birds, abandoned rabbits, injured mice, snails who need moving to safety, and bumble bees who need a little ‘pick me up’ to help them get their energy back. My need to rescue isn’t just limited to animals. It also extends to perfectly imperfect Christmas tree decorations, ‘sick bay’ plants at the garden centre, delicately decaying chainsaw carved tree trunk animals, slightly damaged character plant pots, and more recently, pre-loved soft toys. Once I even ‘rescued’ an old book from a restaurant!

Now just so you don’t read this and think I’m a hoarder, I’ll explain. I’ve adopted a number of rescue animals over the years like dogs, cats and hens and sometimes by chance, sometimes by choice, I’ve taken on the ones that needed that extra little bit of TLC or the ones that other people were reluctant to have. The extra TLC is particularly true with the hens who were all rehomed from the caged farming system. I also believe that some of these animals chose me; Hermione the 12 year old blind cat who although only with us for a short time, seemed destined to help me start healing a broken heart after we lost one of our dogs. Bobby, a handsome black cat who picked me a week after we’d lost our second dog, and Jules, a ginger cat with thumbs who feels like she’s connected to me in ways I’d never have believed possible with a cat.

The dogs, cats and hens were rehomed through various rescue organisations and I see it as something that benefits everyone. The organisation is supported and can continue to help more animals, the animals have new loving homes and I have amazing animals to share my life with. Some animals like the hedgehog are given a safe release site and others, like Walter the abandoned rabbit who we tried to save but couldn’t, were given a humane and pain free end to their suffering.

What about the tree carvings, Christmas decorations, plants and plant pots? Well if I didn’t buy them or save them, they might never get to fulfil their purpose in life and secondly, they could quite feasibly end up heading to landfill. I think sometimes people are too concerned about ‘perfection’. Take the damaged plant pot for example (Alan as he’s now fondly called) who was in the supermarket for weeks. Alan is a small, cute, pale blue T-Rex plant pot that came with a cactus. He was on the shelf in Asda with all the other character plant pots but because he was missing half (ok, all) of his lower front leg, no one wanted him. You might say well obviously, who would want a broken plant pot that would leak water all over? Each week I saw him sat there, his broken leg was long gone but he was left out on display, and each week he waited patiently for someone to choose him. For someone, anyone, to pay the £3 and take him home to fulfil his role as a ‘roarsome’, (sorry), spikey cactus filled plant holder. After over a month of seeing him there, I took him to the customer service counter and explained his plight to the staff who responded, “Aw, poor little thing!”. They gave me a 50% discount and Alan finally had a home. It only took a bit of time and waterproof silica sealant and Alan was good to go. He now sits proudly on a window ledge surveying his suburban domain whilst nurturing his spikey cactus cargo.

What about the book? I’m a great lover of books. Years ago we were in a restaurant with a literary name and our bill was brought to us inside an old book. I decided the book deserved a better life. It deserved the life of a book, to be picked up, read and to be displayed on a shelf with other books. I asked if we could take it and was told, ‘yes, we have loads’. That’s how I rescued a book from a life of bill carrying servitude!

Now you might see why I end up rescuing inanimate things – because I give them names and project human thoughts, emotions and purpose onto them. Google says this can be an indication of a healthy imagination and empathy so I’m ok with it (and I dread to think what would’ve happened to Alan if I hadn’t saved him from an untimely demise due to a minor limb injury!)

Sometimes I feel that perhaps people can’t see past damaged things, imperfect things, that things are replaced rather than repaired, and that things are easily discarded. We can have new things in the next day or so (or the same day if we pay a subscription), so there’s no need to keep something we don’t really want anymore, something that’s a little worn or showing signs of use or age.

Fortunately I came across something the other week that gave me hope. Hope that the worn, the discarded, the slightly weary, the perfectly imperfect, the ones missing their original labels could have new lives and would be loved again. I found Love Before.

Loved Before is an eco-friendly, fully sustainable soft toy adoption agency. There isn’t a word in that description that doesn’t make me happy. The business and this concept appeals to me on so many levels. This is somewhere that must be like an urban myth in toy boxes everywhere. Where toys dream of going when they’re discarded or when their person becomes too old for them. It makes me happy inside that not only do these toys get a name and the cutest bio about their previous lives, but that they get a second chance to be loved and have new adventures. As if this, and the sustainability and eco friendliness isn’t enough, the icing on the cake is that this year, at least half of the profit of the adopted toys supports Make-A-Wish UK. Visit Loved Before’s About Us page, explore their website, and I challenge you not to look at the teddies that still need new homes!

Given my propensity towards rescuing (and that my emotional eating seems to have been replaced with emotional buying!), you won’t be remotely surprised to hear that I adopted a teddy from Loved Before, her name is Liliana. Liliana and I found each other by chance one Saturday afternoon. Liliana was sitting quietly in Selfridges in the Trafford Centre as I was walking through trying to escape the shopping chaos. I didn’t see her at first because she was at the back of the ‘Loved Before’ display stand. As I walked around it, looking at all the hopeful faces I saw hers and heard the tiniest whisper of a wish, asking and hoping, “Please pick me, please pick me”. Liliana’s bio said she ‘had a heart of gold and a fear of water. She bravely guards the bed but panics at the site of a bathtub. Once her friends found her hiding under a towel during a rain storm.’ Surely this would’ve made anyone want to adopt her. No? Ok, how about the little tag that all the Loved Before teddies have, ‘I could have been in landfill, all cold, dark and alone until someone did find me and offer me a home. For my story’s far from over, adventure is out there you see, I can’t wait for my next chapter… so thank you, for picking me.’ I heard her little heart’s hopes and dreams for new adventures, her wish to be loved again and I knew she was meant to start her new journey with me.

There are lots of other people out there who also love rescuing pre-loved teddies. I can say this with confidence as on the Loved Before website there’s an area called Loved Again . This is where you’ll find blog posts about the new lives of some of the adoptees, written by their new families. Tell me that’s not a great idea?! You will of course find a little story on there about Liliana.

Having discovered this company and loving what they were doing, I had to look at the other pre-loved teddies who might need a home. Did I buy anymore? After reading everything above I think you already know the answer to that. Of course I bought another one. “Mittens is a quiet cat with a poet’s soul. She tiptoes across windowsills and finds beauty in dust motes. She won’t say much, but you’ll always feel understood. Loves moonlight, soft music, and the smell of toast.” Mittens the cat now has a new home.

I know that sometimes ‘new’ is necessary but please consider re-homing, repairing, treasuring or making room in your life for the things that aren’t perfect or are old or a little loved around the edges. As a rescuer, as a re-homer, of animals and things, I promise you it’s worth it.

If you have any toys you’re getting rid of, if they’re suitable than please consider donating them to Loved Before. Follow this link to find out how you can do this. You’ll be supporting a sustainable business, a charity, new adventures for some toys and you’ll feel good doing it!