Farplace Animal Rescue Eliminates Print Downtime Across 38 Charity Shops with Toshiba Managed Print Services

Farplace Animal Rescue began in 2002 as a modest home-based rescue operation in Weardale, County Durham. By 2008 the organisation had grown sufficiently to register as a formal charity, and it has continued to expand ever since. Today, Farplace employs a dedicated team of seven animal care specialists, manages substantial veterinary costs, and has developed a protected site with woodland, fields, stables, and a publicly accessible wildlife experience zone complete with a bird hide and a range of natural habitats.

That growth would not be possible without a reliable income stream. Farplace has built an extensive network of charity retail shops to fund its front-line work: starting from just two shops a decade ago, the estate now stretches to 38 locations spanning the North East of England, Wales, and the Midlands, with further openings planned. Keeping those shops running efficiently — and ensuring that financial records reach the main office promptly every day — is central to the charity’s ability to continue caring for animals rejected elsewhere.

The Challenge

With an expanding retail footprint came growing pressure on the charity’s printing and scanning infrastructure. Each shop needed to produce and process paperwork on a daily and weekly basis, scanning financial records and staff attendance logs back to headquarters as PDFs. Head office had its own demanding requirements: quarterly newsletters distributed to more than 800 contacts, professional fundraising materials, and thousands of Gift Aid letters that must be issued to donors each year — creating periods of intense volume that called for fast, dependable hardware.

The existing arrangement was not working. Farplace had a difficult relationship with its previous print supplier, with service levels proving inconsistent and consumable costs running higher than they should. Without an overarching managed print contract, printers were often purchased online and shipped directly to individual shops for self-installation — an approach that created constant difficulties, since retail staff are skilled at running a charity shop, not configuring office hardware. Head office was left picking up the pieces: supporting shops by phone, calling in external IT providers unnecessarily, and receiving printers back from branches that subsequently turned out to be functioning correctly. Adding to the pressure, Farplace had no meaningful visibility of what it was spending on print each month, making it difficult to plan or control the budget with any confidence.

“We had a very poor relationship with our previous print supplier. The service levels were inconsistent, consumables were expensive, and because there was no cohesive managed print contract, printers were often bought online and sent directly to shops for self-installation. That caused constant issues, as our shop teams aren’t particularly technical.”

Lindsay Burns, Deputy CEO, Farplace Animal Rescue

The Solution

All UK Copiers, part of Total Business Group, worked closely with Farplace to understand its operations before recommending a solution. A detailed survey covered every location, including the main office and each retail site, assessing print volumes, scanning workflows, connectivity and the day-to-day capability of staff who would use the devices.

Based on that assessment, a fully managed print solution was designed around Toshiba hardware. Every shop received a Toshiba desktop device pre-configured to allow staff to print documentation and scan paperwork back to head office as PDFs — straightforwardly, without any technical knowledge required. At the main office, a high-capacity Toshiba multifunction device was installed to handle demanding print runs, support the quality required for donor and marketing communications, and manage the volume peaks that come with quarterly newsletter production and annual Gift Aid processing.

All devices were supplied, installed, and are fully managed under the contract, with consumables and ongoing support included as standard. Scanning folders and workflows were configured in advance of each installation, eliminating the need for IT involvement during rollout.

“It was important for us to fully understand how Farplace operated day to day, both at head office and in the shops. By surveying every location, we were able to recommend a managed print solution using Toshiba devices that were genuinely fit for purpose and easy for staff to use.”

Alan Rogers, Sales Director, Total Business Group

Implementation and Rollout

The deployment was handled carefully and in stages. The Toshiba devices were initially trialled across six shops to validate the solution before the broader rollout began. With the pilot performing well, the team visited each remaining location to install the hardware, confirm it was fully operational, and guide staff through normal use. The transition was smooth throughout: day-to-day operations were unaffected, no technical issues arose on site, and the charity’s external IT provider did not need to be involved at any stage.

The Results

Since moving to a fully managed service, Farplace has seen improvements in efficiency and reliability across its retail estate and head office. Finance paperwork and staff attendance records are now transferred from shops to the main office consistently, every day and every week. The finance team confirms that the delays and disruption that previously affected this transfer process have been eliminated entirely.

Farplace now has complete visibility of its monthly print expenditure for the first time, enabling more confident budget management. The managed service also gives shops a consistent route for support before replacement equipment is considered. Feedback on the Toshiba hardware from shop teams has been positive since installation, with reliability, ease of use and print speed highlighted.

“What’s made the biggest difference is the amount of time we’ve got back. We’re no longer spending hours supporting shops or troubleshooting printer issues, and the paperwork now comes through consistently without delays.”

Alan Diment, Office Manager, Farplace Animal Rescue

Ongoing Support

The relationship with All UK Copiers has continued to deliver value beyond the initial deployment. Communication throughout the project was clear and proactive, the support team remains accessible and responsive, and toner is replenished on a just-in-time basis, keeping devices operational without requiring any effort from Farplace staff.

“Our experience has been seamless, efficient, and highly professional. The managed print service supports our growth, improves operational efficiency, and has taken a significant administrative burden off our staff. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to any organisation looking for a reliable, fully managed print solution.”

Lindsay Burns, Deputy CEO, Farplace Animal Rescue