HRH Princess Alexandra, the Hon. Lady Ogilvy, KG GCVO was the guest of honour at a PDSA fundraising reception and luncheon at Hillsborough Castle (29 September), to celebrate the charity’s planned expansion of free PDSA PetAid services to Northern Ireland early next year.

The Princess, who has been the Patron of veterinary charity PDSA for 32 years, was greeted by PDSA Chairman, Mr Freddie Bircher, PDSA Director General, Mrs Marilyn Rydström and local dignitaries from County Down. She was presented with a bouquet by Mrs Teresa Bircher and Mrs Mary Alice Trustram Eve, who are both wives of PDSA Trustees.

PDSA Chairman, Freddie Bircher, and PDSA Director General, Marilyn Rydstrom, watch as PDSA Patron, HRH Princess Alexandra, the Hon. Lady Ogilvy, KG GCVO, signs the visitors’ book at Hillsborough Castle.

During the fundraising reception and luncheon, the Princess met around 50 staff and supporters and discussed the progress of PDSA's new PetAid hospital in Belfast, due for completion early next year. Before departing for her second engagement of the day she signed both PDSA and Hillsborough Castle visitors' books.

PDSA has recently purchased premises at 490 Antrim Road, Belfast and builders are now on site to convert and refurbish the premises in order to provide facilities to treat up to 100 sick and injured animals every working day. The new Belfast PetAid hospital is set to open its doors and treatment rooms to pet patients in January.

Though the first in Northern Ireland, the Belfast PDSA PetAid hospital will be the charity’s forty-third PetAid hospital, offering free veterinary treatment to the sick and injured pets of people in need. To be eligible for free PDSA veterinary care pet owners must be in receipt of Housing Benefit and live within the new PetAid hospital’s catchment* area.

It is anticipated that the new Belfast PDSA PetAid hospital will serve over 73,000 eligible households, home to an estimated 47,000 pets. It will have a public reception area, consulting rooms, a state-of-the-art operating theatre, X-ray room, preparation and sterilisation areas, canine and feline recovery wards, an isolation room plus a medicines dispensary and staff facilities.

PDSA Director General, Marilyn Rydström, said: "It was both a pleasure and a delight to welcome our Patron, Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra, to Northern Ireland, and to update her on our plans for the new Belfast PetAid hospital. PDSA supporters came from all over the UK to meet her, and she has helped to get the fundraising ball rolling for sick and injured pets in Northern Ireland."