STAFF at a Teignbridge animal rescue charity were ‘blown away’ after a huge Guy Fawkes Night donation.

Animals In Distress in Ipplepen was unexpectedly handed £3,000 by local company Rev Comps which decided to donate the cash it would have spent on its fireworks display.

Rev Comps owner Robbie Savage explained: ‘We decided not to do a fireworks display this year.

‘So instead of blowing up £1,000s worth of fireworks - we spent around £3,000 last year on them - we have donated £3,000 to Animals in Distress instead.’

The decision was welcomed by local animal lovers who responded on social media praising the company for not using fireworks.

One said: ‘This is very kind and thoughtful. Instead of frightening animals its helping animals.’

Rowana Rowan, Communications Co-ordinator and Fundraiser at Animals in Distress, said: ‘We were over the moon to see this donation come through on Bonfire Night.

‘It was such a kind and generous thing for Rev Comps to do and the money will make a huge difference to the lives of the animals in our care.

‘This is such a stressful night of the year for many pets and wild animals, and it was a wonderful gesture to help animals in need instead.

‘The response from our local community was incredibly heart-warming.

‘Many people now would prefer to see fewer fireworks for the sake of animals, and when we posted this story on our Facebook page it really seemed to inspire a lot of people.

‘We’d like to say a huge thank you to Robbie and everyone at Rev Comps for their incredible kindness, on behalf of all the animals in our care - and animals everywhere.’

Animals in Distress is based in Ipplepen and cares for hundreds of unwanted and abandoned pets each year.