Vanax have completed the complex conversion of 39 Vauxhall Combo vans for the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The Scottish SPCA which started in 1839, principally to ensure the welfare of carthorses, is now Scotland's largest animal welfare charity. It receives no government funding or National lottery grants and relies on donations and fundraising from individuals and businesses.

After an intensive 6 month consultation period with a number of Inspectors of the Society, Vanax put together a specification which would not only improve safety and comfort for the Inspectors but also for the animals who are transported daily to rescue centres around the country. The base vehicles, 39 Vauxhall Combo vans were supplied by vans Halshaw Vauxhall in Edinburgh with factory fitted mesh bulkheads and LPG conversions. Vanax supplied plywood lining panels to the walls together with a rear wisadeck shelf. Our in-house fabrication department designed and built a hinged mesh bulkhead which in normal use would split the cargo area into 2 sections; the rear section behind the side load door for the safe carrying of animals in cages, the mid-section in line with the side loading door to carry the Inspectors' tools and equipment.

In the event of the vehicles being called upon to evacuate or transport multiple cages, this bulkhead is designed to swing forward and connect to the front bulkhead to increase the rear animal holding area and reduce the tool and equipment area while still ensuring the animals are contained within a secure area. Additional lighting was supplied to both the cargo area and the cab area with the fitting of a powerful swivel work lamp mounted internally to the rear door and a twin tube fluorescent strip light fitted above the side loading door. To aid the inspectors to find their destinations quickly at night, flexi-cord map reading lights were fitted to the cab area.

Roof level equipment comprised of a rotary roof vent to improve air flow in the rear, 2 bar stainless steel roof rack with aluminium ladder slides and a twin halogen beacon to improve safety at the roadside. An additional Din socket power output was fitted at the rear door and the existing cigarette lighter was switched to constant power for charging mobile telephones even with the engine off. Finally, a towbar with towball and single electrics were supplied to ensure these vans can be used in a variety of roles where animal welfare takes priority.

With the aid of Vanax Ltd, the Scottish SPCA have the best equipped vans on their fleet to safeguard the health and safety of their Inspectors and the animals they are tasked with protecting.

The converted vehicles have featured in the Scottish SPCA's recent television advertisements on both Scottish TV, Grampian and Channel 4 in the month of August 2005.