A promise made to one snake
Lilly was a red-tailed boa. She was with us nine months. Everything here happened because of her.
How it began
Dave Bigsby was working as a handyman at Scarborough SeaLIFE Centre when the RSPCA brought in a batch of rescued reptiles. Among them was a red-tailed boa in a poor way: underweight, covered in mites, clearly neglected. Dave and the team nursed her back to health and named her Lilly.
A few months on, Lilly developed lumps along her back. It turned out to be an aggressive cancer. She'd only been with them nine months, but they were good ones — and losing her hit Dave hard. He decided that Lilly's story would mean something: he'd help as many of her fellow reptiles as he could.
From a spare room to Victoria Road
It started, as these things do, with one room at home converted into a reptile room and a growing number of animals from people who couldn't afford to look after them any more. In the run-up to one Christmas alone, twelve came in.
The number of abandoned reptiles along the coast has been climbing for years. Exotic pets bought on impulse, cost-of-living pressures, owners moving house — the reasons vary, but the outcome is the same: animals dumped in bins, left in empty flats or released where they can't survive. Scarborough had nowhere for them to go.
In January 2024 Dave opened the town's first dedicated reptile rescue centre at 33 Victoria Road. In April 2025 the rescue became a registered Community Interest Company, which means every penny that comes in goes back into the animals.
What we believe
No reptile should be dumped
Whatever the circumstances, we'll take it in.
Money isn't the point
We're not-for-profit. We keep costs low because times are hard for everyone.
Snakes aren't the villains
They're not slimy, they're not aggressive, and you're far more likely to be bitten by a dog. Education is half of what we do.
Every animal gets individual care
Proper diet, vet treatment where needed, and an enclosure that lets it behave naturally.