FOR many owners, especially the elderly or those with poor health, their pets are their only source of companionship and their raison d’etre.

It is widely acknowledged that pets can positively benefit the well being of their carers, offering solace from loneliness and despair.

Pets are affectionate and loyal, do not criticise or judge and help to give structure and routine to the day.

The special relationship between owner and pet adds incalculably to the quality of life, but all the pleasures and benefits can be completely neutralised by intense anxiety regarding the fate of their devoted companion should the owner die, fall ill or have to move into residential accommodation.

If an ‘old faithful’ dies, elderly owners are often reluctant to have another pet for these reasons, and life for them loses much of its warmth, light and purpose.

The Cinnamon Trust is the only specialist national charity which seeks to relieve the anxieties, problems and sometimes injustices, faced by elderly and terminally ill people and their pets. The Trust’s primary objective is to respect and preserve the treasured relationship between owners and their pets. To this end it works in partnership with owners to overcome any difficulties that might arise.

As well as practical help such as walking a dog for a housebound owner, the Trust also provides short-term fostering whilst their owners are in hospital, or more long-term care for pets whose owners have died or moved into residential accommodation. Arrangements are made between the Trust and the owner well in advance, if possible, so that owners do have peace of mind in the knowledge that their beloved companion will have a safe and happy future.

For more information on the Cinnamon Trust, to make a donation or leave a legacy, or to become one of a growing network of over 10,000 volunteers, please contact them at the the Cinnamon Trust, 10 Market Square, Hayle, Cornwall TR27 4HE. Telephone 01736 757900. www.cinnamon.org.uk.