Volunteers at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home were praised this week for their “fantastic” work by Prime Minister David Cameron, on a visit to the rescue centre to mark its 1,000th unpaid helper.

Mr Cameron, whose Downing Street cat Larry came from the centre, said those who give up their time to help others get an “enormous amount of satisfaction”.

After being greeted on arrival by a nine-strong canine guard of honour, all awaiting rehoming, Mr Cameron said: “Battersea Dogs and Cats Home have been doing fantastic work for over 150 years and I’m delighted to congratulate them on their 1,000th volunteer.

“Today I’ve had the chance to see their volunteers in action and have been amazed by the commitment and enthusiasm of everybody here.

“They find an enormous amount of satisfaction, they feel they’re doing something good for others, and in this case good for animals, good for the community and also they find they get a lot out of it for themselves.

“We’ve tried to encourage volunteering, not least with things like National Citizen Service, which is giving every young person over time the chance to take part in community service projects and I think we’re going to see a big growth in that, and volunteering’s up over the last few years, as is charitable giving.

Battersea chief executive Claire Horton said: “It’s a great honour for everybody here at Battersea to welcome the Prime Minister to our world-famous home for such an important occasion.

“Without our fantastic volunteers Battersea would not be able to care for the thousands of lost, unwanted and abandoned animals we take in every year.”

The centre’s 1,000th volunteer, 32-year-old James Moore from Beckenham, said: “As soon as I walked through the famous gate I knew there was something special about Battersea.

“We are all here because we hope we can make a difference to the animals in some way.

“There is a real community spirit too which makes it a wonderful place to be.”