One of Suffolk’s longest-running animal rescue centres will close its doors next week – ready for a move to a state-of-the-art £3million new complex.

The Blue Cross has been based at Felixstowe for 40 years but its current premises in Walton High Street are no longer big enough or meet the needs of the charity for modern animal welfare care.

Now new premises have been built at Clock Fields, opposite the Suffolk Ski Centre at Bourne Hill, Wherstead, where the national charity, which currently cares for around 400 cats and dogs each year at its Felixstowe rehoming centre, will be able to double the number of pets it helps in Suffolk.

Andrew Gillon, centre manager at Blue Cross in Suffolk, said: “This is a very exciting time for us and we can’t wait to be in our new rehoming centre.

“It’s a much bigger site and the purpose-built facilities will offer modern accommodation for dogs and cats in our care while we find them loving new homes.”

The Felixstowe Blue Cross will close its doors on Monday to start the move. It is hoped the new facility at Wherstead will open its doors by the end of month.

Mr Gillon said: “We’ll be working really hard to get the new centre open as soon as possible. During this time we’ll still be helping pets through our Home Direct scheme and the animals still in our care will either go to a foster home or be transferred to another Blue Cross centre.

“The support we’ve had from the public has been phenomenal and we’d really like to thank everyone involved and all those who have donated as we couldn’t have done it without them. We’re almost there!”

Facilities at the new centre will include puppy and kitten areas, an on-site veterinary clinic for centre pets, maternity unit, clinical suite for operations, and dedicated exercise areas, including 20 acres of neighbouring woodland where staff and volunteers can walk dogs.

The puppy unit will enable it to care for about 80 homeless puppies and the kennels will provide more space than the animals currently enjoy.

The old vacant site in Walton is expected to be sold for housing development.

To find out more about the Blue Cross rehoming centre in Suffolk contact the team on 0300 777 1480, email suffolk@bluecross.org.uk or visit www.bluecross.org.uk/suffolkcentre