[Re-Upload - Article taken from November 2021]

Local volunteers have raised thousands towards repairs to make dog kennels safe again at a Llanelli rescue centre left in critical condition following Storm Arwen.

Sylvia Van Atta, founder of Many Tears Animal Rescue Centre in Llanelli, had previously pleaded with followers to donate the cost of a cup of coffee to the centre to help with repairs.

The Facebook plea garnered an abundance of support, including that of local construction company Coastal Roofing, who heroically assisted with repair efforts.

Sylvia recalls how harsh weather from storm Arwen on Saturday, 27^th November caused “major structural damage” to the centre, destroying the centre’s brand-new classroom recently installed for the animals.

“We were without power from the early hours of the morning,” she said, adding: “Debris was flying dangerously in the winds, and we sadly lost one of our new puppies during the incident.”

On December 7^th, Tom Price, director of Coastal Roofing, saw the centres pleas and got involved, stating: “I don’t like to see people left in such a mess. I’ll always help someone out if I can.”

He said: “We helped in replacing the whole roof as the condition after the storm wasn’t repairable,” adding, “We gave them a new roof to make sure all the puppies were safe and sound.”

Although based in Carmarthenshire, Many Tears Rescue Centre helps dogs in foster homes throughout the UK.

According to their website, the rescue now homes over 3,000 dogs a year.

In a statement on their Facebook page, Many Tears said that the roofing company helped “straighten the roof panels as a quick fix to make the kennels safe” along with “other volunteers and staff who screwed them up to temporarily mend the structures.”

They also provided an update on how they plan to use the generous donations from the local community, writing: “Next week we will buy the supplies needed to get things all repaired properly and a small generator to protect against loss of power.”

“We are also planning to make 4 warm kennels for our lovely dogs on the sites of previous older, damaged ones.”

Storm Arwen winds reached “almost 100 miles per hour”, leaving “three dead, buildings damaged and trees blown down in the ferocious winds” across the United Kingdom, according to the Guardian.

While the centre remains devastated by the loss of puppy Florence during the storm, Sylvia maintains that “after every storm, a rainbow appears.”

For Many Tears, their “rainbow” appeared in the form of a German Shephard the rescue centre welcomed into their care in the aftermath of the storm.

“Frisby arrived heavily pregnant, and this morning delivered 10 beautiful and healthy puppies via c-section,” said Sylvia, in a post on Facebook.

“It was all hands-on deck as our staff members and volunteers rushed to our veterinary surgery to help the new arrivals.” Sylvia continued.  “We could not have done this without you all, we are so grateful for your support.”

 A diner from Sheffield was trolled mercilessly in 2018 for being a “fussy” eater after a post about her dietary requirements went viral online.

Billie Geena, 25, from Sheffield, wants to raise awareness of the detrimental effects of trolling after a complaint she posted online regarding a worker at a local Mexican restaurant who wrote “haha” next to her dietary restrictions garnered negative attention online.

Geena recalls how she went for a meal with friends in early 2018 and requested the fillet seabass dish from the menu to be served without onions, garlic, or milk in accordance with her dietary restrictions.

Billie was later shocked to see a rude note from the waitress to the chef on the receipt that read “no onion no garlic no milk haha”.

Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

“I have a stomach condition which is triggered by certain foods like onion, dairy and garlic,” said Billie, of Sheffield, South Yorks.

“We had a lovely meal, and on the receipt, they wrote ‘no onion no garlic no milk haha’.”

“I complained to them and didn't get an apology at the time. “

A furious Billie tweeted a picture of the receipt, and within hours was inundated with emails, tweets, Facebook and Instagram messages from complete strangers taunting her for her “fussy” eating habits.

Regarding the trolls, Billie said: “They picked apart how I looked and called me every name under the sun, in multiple languages.”

“I was sent home from my job as they had found out where I worked and apparently left threatening comments.”

Online abuse from strangers, often referred to as “trolls”, is not uncommon. A recent survey from Pew Research suggests that 27% of internet users have been called offensive names and 25% had seen someone being physically threatened.

Geena was no exception: “I had messages from strangers telling me that I should just kill myself. Others said they'd go to the restaurant just to spite me”

“One comment I got just said: ‘B*tch looks like Danny Devito’.” 

According to the Pew Research survey, such comments can affect an individual's mental health, causing symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Billie suffered from constant panic attacks and anxiety as a result of her ordeal.

“Every time I checked my phone, I burst out crying,” she said. “I had no self-esteem, I hated everything about myself. I deleted all of the social media apps from my phone for a long time.”

When asked whether she regrets posting about her negative dining experience, knowing now the abuse it would garner, Billie said: “I wish it never happened to be honest, but you can't change the past. I wish I just left it at the receipt. I thought I'd be a champion for those with intolerances, but it didn't work out that way.”

However, Geena admits she did learn from her experience: “I'm really cautious about what I share nowadays. It also taught me the importance of privacy settings.”

As a victim, Billie shared her thoughts on why people troll: “People troll because there aren't any consequences.”

“It's easy, they can hide behind a handle and an image of the union jack or a cartoon character. They share what they want so they can be unidentifiable.”

“They called me an attention seeker, but to be a troll you've got to be a pretty massive one yourself.”

Thank you to Billie Geena for allowing me to interview her for this article.