14th July - Summer Projects Away...
We have just kicked off the large "Summer Projects" necessary to prepare ourselves for the Winter ! - The first one was to have the two main winter turnout areas dug out replaced with fresh woodchips ! - This took 2 days with 2 Nine tonne dumper trucks working 10 hour days and a telescopic digger, doing the digging ! - The dug out 'stuff' was carted across the road where it has been sculpted into a one twentieth scale model of the Hindu Kush!
Please note that a telescopic digger cannot be used to see stars - unless of course it happens to fall on your head. It merely means that the digging arm moves in & out by hydraulics & can reach 9 meters !
100 cubic metres of fresh woodships have now gone in & it all looks fabulous ! - will post some pics soon. This has cost £2500 ! but is work that has to be done - when you see how much work has been done & taking the 10 x 10 tonne lorry loads of chips (wood) into account, this is pretty good value. - Incidentally someone once suggested we could do it my wheel barrow - this would be fine if we had 5000 Egyptian slaves & about 20 years, but last time I looked they were all off sick.
Part of the Winter refurbishments is to get two more of the troughs like the one we got a few months ago - these are now ordered at a cost of £1700.
We have also ordered 5 new gates to secure areas properly & together with the fittings & hanging posts we need this is another £700.
Thankfully I have today been contacted by a representative of the Congo National Bank who has a client who has died & left $400m in his account. He wants to transfer the cash to us & we can keep 20% so it looks like our troubles are over... eheh
Meanwhile back in the real world..
I will get pictures posted of the work as it happens - as soon as I can
The new fencing at the new field we are renting (see below) needs treating - not with chocolates, but with creosote. We had to pay half the cost of making it safe for the animals and so it is in our interest to get it treated so it lasts as long as possible - if anyone is interested in a days creosoting - let me know !!!
Yak CD sales have been good - some 75 copies of the album sold in the past 6 weeks - all proceeds will be going towards this project. Order your copy HERE
11th July - Emergency on Planet Lamb
A lamb was brought in today with flystrike. He had been living on a farm locally and was rescued and brought here to see if we could save his life - see the video HERE
10th July - New Field
We have decided to rent extra grazing at the Sanctuary as it will be a benefit to the animals although will add more costs to an already costly operation ! - However it is a lovely field - about three acres and has three stables. It is just up the road in Tillingham down a quiet lane and within walking distance from where Fiona's Mum lives.
The field had to be fenced to make it safe and that work was completed a few days ago. So, on Saturday our local transporter (Trish) arrived and we loaded two Ponies (Poppy & Twinkle) together with William the Horse.
When the three were unloaded, they were very excited and bombed about in the new field before settling down to graze. Then, we went back to load the Sheep who live in the field where the Pigs live. It was a "challenge" to get them all onto the lorry, as we had no hurdles to "corale" them - just relying on their desire to get the feed put on the floor of the lorry! - All went well, but Homer - the largest & pack leader - refused to go. Fiona & I had to more or less carry him & he is a BIG sheep - over 200 pounds & in the heat in was a tad difficult !!!
When we arrived at the field, they all ran out to explore their new "arrangements" !
You can see videos of them HERE
The rent of the field is costing the Sanctuary £200 a month & we are launching a campaign to see if we can find new regular supporters whose monthly donations would go towards this additional cost. As regular readers will know, finding the feed costs of £5300 every month is a considerable challenge and some might say that to take the extra burden of the field on is not appropriate - however it is the right thing to do for the animals and they must come first. We just hope that some people reading this will agree and want to help.
Please get in touch if you can help - even a £1 a month will help
Thank you
5th July - Sheep Shearing !
Check out the latest video here
4th July - 10K Champion of High Ongar !
Instead of doing a Sunday training run this week and despite having run a marathon 2 weeks ago, Fiona entered a local 10K. Not Fiona's distance, but she won the race & was about 7 mins up on the next lady home. Hopefully some good publicity will ensue in the local papers
Fiona and her mum were talking to the Mayoress of Epping who started the race & presented the prizes about Veganism & she was impressed, saying she had not thought it possible to be a strong & fit as Fiona on a Vegan diet. She thought you needed to eat meat for protein ! It is such a misconception... perhaps one day the message will sink in... Fiona continues to put her money where her mouth is & not only care for 400 animals, but gets out there & shows people what she can do as a Vegan - perform at top level in marathon running & other athletic events !
3rd July - Tatiana Titch arrives
Titch was on death row & her time had come. Another one of literally hundreds of staffie's & staffie X's who are destroyed every day - unwanted. (If you know anyone who breeds Staffies - please feel free to deck them from me). So Titch was saved at the 11th hour & is now nestled in at the Sanctuary. She is an older lady & very passive & likes to snuggle on a sofa! - Pics will follow soon.
29th June - Hay Trough Paid For !
Thank you to all who helped us with the costs of getting the new hay trough - we have now had donations in to cover the entire cost !! - see it here in case you missed this story - check out the video link on that page too !
16th June - Marathon Champion of Lapland !
Set in and around Rovaniemi - the largest city (by area) in Europe - in the North of Finland (Lapland) the Santa Claus Marathon is a tough event. The course is on & off road and is hilly. When Fiona won Halstead in 2007, setting a new course record (which still stands), she was the first ever lady to go under 3 hours as Halstead is a tough course - BUT not as tough as the Santa Claus Marathon !
Fiona ran most of the way with the man who won the race. He was from Helsinki & a 2 hour 30 runner. He had gone to Rovaniemi to set a new men's course record, as that stood at 2 hours 47 mins, however he only just managed to finish in just under 3 hours - 2: 59 odd and Fiona finished a few minutes behind him in 3:03.
Despite the 26 degree heat and the strong wind, Fiona managed to set a new ladies course record, shaving eleven & a half minutes off the previous one set by a French woman last year when conditions for running were more favorable.
That's 2 marathon wins & 2 course records set ! - Not bad for a Vegan gal with a knee replacement is it?
What a fantastic result !!
Considering all the bad luck that has plagued Fiona these past months, the disappointment on missing out of running Geneva & then catching flu ahead of the Essex Championship Marathon & then the heartache of the loss of Max the horse who Fiona has cared for for 30 years, it is surprising that she felt able to run at all - let alone achieve this kind of result on top of her colossal workload here.
We had not publicised that Fiona was going to do this race in Lapland as the "pressure of expectation" to do well, would have been crushing on top of everything else, so we kept it quiet and Fiona slipped out of the Country on Friday evening
and raced on Saturday night in Lapland - well I say night, of course it's 24 hour sunshine in Lapland this time of year - the land of the midnight sun! - Fiona said it was hard to sleep with the sun blazing down all night ! - a most bizarre experience indeed.
Fiona is now not only the 'Marathon Champion' of Lapland, but also the fastest female marathon runner ever within the Arctic Circle - that's cool in several ways ;0)
Fiona ran in her Vegan Runners top & spoke to a number of people who were interested in her lifestyle choice. Certainly a good way to spread the message of a cruelty free lifestyle as Fiona is living proof that being Vegan is not detrimental to top performance in endurance sport.
Fiona's win made the headlines of the National Newspaper in Finland & of course a Vegan winning the marathon in a country so dominated by hunting, shooting & fishing is news indeed.
Fiona only went to this marathon to promote her Vegan lifestyle & it was touch & go in the last few days as she really has been at rock bottom. However she was determined to make a statement and in memory of Max decided to go for it in the hope that her effort might make a difference for some animal somewhere that is not loved as much as he was.
If you would like to retrospectively sponsor Fiona for the race, please do get in touch & we do hope you understand why we didn't announce this on the website in advance.
The PayPal is fiona@towerhillstables.com or by cheque payable to Tower Hill Stables Animal Sanctuary, at Asheldham, Essex, CM0 7DZ
All donations 100% towards the feed bills
Thank you
3rd June - Mastiff Rescue
Lyla the Mastiff has been languishing at a kennels for a staggering 8 years - nearly her whole life & has not been "allowed" to be re-homed by the kennel owner. To cut to the chase the "owner" is now unwell & the opportunity has been taken to get her out & to here so at least she can enjoy a short time out of a kennel environment & with others of her kind.
I picked her up after work today & we introduced her to the gang this evening - see pictures here.
1st June - Dandelion Arrives
A few days ago Fiona was asked whether she would be able to help with a female Ewe who was being thrown off of the grazing where her owners had had her for the past few years. She arrived today - see here for pics & more details
25th May - More abuse
With all the recent upset hanging heavily on Fiona, she has somehow found the strength to carry on & get back into a rigorous training routine to perhaps do a different marathon later in the year.
As those who have been here will know, the roads are not that wide round here & running around 100 miles a week on them is fraught with danger - Fiona does her speed work on the treadmill, but needs to put the long runs in on the road.
The amount of abuse she always gets always frustrates & disappoints me as whilst some car/van/tractor drivers are prepared to give her room as they pass, others seem to find it amusing to play "chicken with the runner" often forcing Fiona to leap out of the way at the last minute.
I would however like to express my thanks to the kind lady - well I understand that it was the female of the species from Fiona's description - who went out of her way to wind her window down in Tillingham & yell at Fiona to "Get off the ****ing road you slag".
Fiona didn't recognise the old crone who saw fit to levy this abuse, but I have pieced together a photofit of what this wizened old harbinger looks like - HERE
22nd May - New Hay Trough Arrives
Further to the Hay Trough Appeal below (12th May) we raised just over £600 so far towards the £846 cost of the trough (inc Vat & Delivery) and the trough was dropped off on Saturday.
Thank you to all who helped & if anyone reading would be kind enough to help us with the outstanding amount, please do get in touch - the appeal page is HERE
A short video of the trough arriving has been uploaded at the foot of the Appeal Page
16th May - Goodbye Mr Max
As you may know, Fiona was at rock bottom following the disaster detailed below - with her not being able to compete in the marathon she had trained so incredibly hard for and sadly on Friday she was dealt another crushing body blow with the departure of her best friend Mr Max the horse who she has cared for for over 30 years.
Max was 40, a good age for a cob, but he has been part of Fiona's life for such a long time, she cannot really remember a time when he was not there. Fiona loves all animals of course, but Mr Max was very special - very special indeed. He was there when Fiona had to deal with Cancer when she was young and the reason she was determined to overcome it.
We have known that something has not been quite right with Max for the past 2 weeks. He is usually a very naughty pony - a typical thelwell pony in fact - very pushy & very cute with it ! - he was however a little off colour & Fiona knew in her heart of hearts that something was happening. He was in perfect condition - as the vet commented, but it seems that something neurological was happening as he was loosing the ability to move his limbs - some stiffness due to old age is part of the course, but on Friday he sat down & would not get up.
Fiona tried everything to get him up, even rolling him over on her own in front of an astonished vet who didn't think Fiona would be able to physically achieve that. However after the vet & Fiona had tried everything from boosters to pain killers it was clear that Max was ready to go.
As you may recall we nearly lost him last November with a severe colic but despite the vet wanting to put him to sleep then, Fiona knew he was not ready & contrary to vet advise furthger pain killers were administered & by morning he had made a full recovery. Previous to that, he had had another bad colic about 4 years ago & again the vet (another one) had suggested his chances were slight, but he was a fighter & came back from that near miss, However there comes a time from which recovery is not possible for all of us, man or beast.
Fiona's mum was with her when the vet put him to rest and it was a very quiet affair for Max.
30 years is a long relationship to have with an animal & to loose Max on top of where Fiona is already has utterly crushed her seemingly to the point of no return. She is distraught and would not leave his body all Friday night. This is our blackest hour
If you have sent a donation in the last few days for any of the appeals & haven't had a personal reply yet - this has been the reason. I am very sorry & will catch up with the e mails as soon as I can
12th May - Hay Trough Appeal
About a year ago we moved over to mostly using LARGE bales of hay that are delivered by a large farm vehicle as each weighs about half a ton! - We still use small (normal) bales to make up the hay nets etc, but with most of the horses living outside it made sense to have 4 of these large bales brought in once a week. They then act as "feed stations" and can be grazed 24/7 by the Horses & Cows which is perfect for their digestive systems.
Unfortunately we have to have these large bales "free standing" as we don't have troughs big enough to take them. This results in a percentage of the hay being wasted and "trodden in" which is unfortunate, but it has been a necessary evil of "coping" - The labour saving of not having to manually put small bales daily out for 30 odd horses has been considerable - as I am sure you can imagine.
However, as part of our on-going improvement program we are going to get a very large hay trough which will take 2 of these massive bales - two would be better, but we can't actually afford one !
We have done our research & found that, as expected, these things are not cheap !
We do have some small troughs & feeders here, but those, despite being £300 a piece will only hold 2 normal bales & in the few years we have had them, the Horses & Cows have all but "mullered" them - they are just not strong enough to cope.
We have however found just the ticket - a really strong trough that will last for a considerable number of years - alas, with all things of quality it comes with a hefty price tag, but I think it will make a huge difference to the animals and will start saving hay from the day it arrives.
8th May - Marathon hopes Dashed
Through no fault of her own, Fiona is unable to take part in the Geneva marathon & as you can probably imagine, training an average of 18 miles a day (on top of all the animal work) in all weathers, including Christmas day - for the past 4 months and then not to be able to compete has left Fiona in a state of shock and severe upset
The first disaster was that poor Fiona's mum who was to travel with her, twisted her knee about 2 weeks back & it has been so bad that in the past week, the swelling & pain has meant that she has had to go into hospital as the ligament may need to be repaired surgically.
As you may know, Fiona has a knee replacement herself & to travel to Geneva alone would represent a significant risk as if she got into difficulties with it - as can happen during the hammering she gives it during a race - she would be in a right mess to be there alone - it would be unacceptable in fact, as of course for Fiona there is no "few weeks" rest following a marathon like every other athlete running at her level - she has to be well enough to see to the 400 animals here the very next day - At the end of the day - the animals come first & we have to ensure that we can be there for them 24/7.
For a few days we did contemplate whether it may be feasible for Fiona to do this alone, but any insane thoughts we may have had on that front were truly smashed to smithereens when I started to come down with flu like symptoms on Tuesday of this week. By Thursday I was not very good at all & coupled with being a man, clearly incapable of looking after the Sanctuary alone. So that was that.
It also appears that today Fiona may be showing signs of illness too - so that puts an end to her considering any alternative marathons.
Avoiding illness is generally a good idea, but for Fiona it is absolutely critical as she can only do what she does in peak condition - I cannot begin to describe the measures we go to to avoid colds - we have been successful all winter - no colds for over a year in fact, however working in an office as I do it is very very difficult not to catch what is going round & I do happen to know that there are a lot of people off there at the moment with this sort of condition. I have managed to miss the last few bouts of flu that folk at work have had by keeping my distance from people coughing, not breathing around people with colds - for up to an hour sometimes ;0) & avoiding door handles & hand rails insofar as is possible - but clearly I was caught out - despite taking the week off ahead of Fiona's race.
Thank you to all who sponsored Fiona, clearly if you would like your sponsorships returned, just drop us a line.
Fiona is now considering her plans as she will be leading Team Vegan in the Great North Run later this year - and may well do a marathon following that.
The BIG news is that Fiona is considering taking up an offer of a place on a race which has been described as the toughest foot endurance event in the World ! - Yes, the Marathon Des Sables.
Never heard of it? - well you might soon as James Cracknell did it this year & a film will be out on TV about it later this year.
What is it? - Well it's 156 miles - across the Saraha - in 6 days - in temperatures of up to 49 degrees & you have to carry all your food...
Now that's a marathon & a half - stay tuned for more details on that
28th April - Fiona set to run the Geneva Marathon
As some may know, Fiona was set to run the London Marathon, but when an opportunity presented itself for her to race in Geneva - with several Vegan Runners already participating in London, Fiona decided to go for it as a further opportunity to raise awareness for the Sanctuary & the Vegan cause
Her training for a Spring race occurs in the worst part of the year & Fiona has been running an average of 18 miles a day for many months now! - Given the animal workload as well as her disability (no kneecap & a knee replacement) this is a ridiculously tough, if not ludicrously tough assignment !
See this special page HERE for more details & also details of how to sponsor Fiona
27th April - :0(
Following an overnight stay at the vets, they called us to say that despite the administration of antibiotics, pain killers & hydration - Sadie had continued to deteriorate in the night. Her condition had come on in literally 3 days & the vet said that it had probably be harboring for some time & had just reached the point where it had suddenly overwhelmed poor little Sadie.
Unfortunately we had to make the horrible decision to let her go & Martin went to the vets after work to be with her. She was very weak and went to sleep peacefully. We are both very upset as she had only been here a very short time & it has been a shock to see such a rapid deterioration. The vet suspected that it was some form of mouth cancer :0(
We also took in another old girl at the weekend - Sally the JR. She is 16 and is doing well. Sally's owner died & his wife had to move into a flat & couldn't have a dog. The plan was to leave Sally in the garden !
Sally was rescued & we were asked if we could fit her in. Sally has been kept outside all her life & is now getting used to being allowed indoors - although prefers to sleep on the patio. This is fine in the mild weather, but we will get her used to being indoors with the oldies gang as soon as possible.
26th April - Sadie at the vets
Sadie only arrived here on 11th April (see below) and appeared to be fine for the first week,
but then started to deteriorate. She was having difficulty eating and her mouth started to smell very bad this weekend. Fiona took her to the vet this evening where I met her after work. The vet has kept Sadie in and will run tests.
She is about 16 and we are waiting for the blood test results. The vet said they will call in the morning. We are hoping that it is an infection that can be treated rather than a symptom of something more significant going on :0(
Sadie's page is HERE
Clearly we don't know Sadie's history, nor the reason she was "thrown out" of her original home - it could be that there is some known problem with her & that the potential vet costs were a contributory factor to her being dumped. We will clearly do whatever we can for the little mite.
22nd April - Helen runs on Sunday !
Helen Watkinson has raised a fantastic £683 so far in sponsorships for the London Marathon which she runs - all being well - on Sunday ! - You can see Helen's page HERE Please sponsor Helen if you can ! - Thank you very much
20th April- Hank leaves the Sanctuary for the first and last time
Update by Fiona:
Today was a very sad day. Hank had to be taken away from the Sanctuary where he had lived and been loved for more than 10 years. We are all very sad. He died of natural causes.
It was a beautiful morning and all the animals were enjoying the sun when the lorry arrived. The man who came was very nice, as nice as anyone could be under the circumstances. We had purposely left Driver's body near to Hank overnight so he knew exactly what was happening and he could see where Hank went in the hopes that he could say his goodbyes and gain closure on the loss of his brother. Daisy, one of the other cows, was very distressed too and very vocally said her goodbyes to Hank. He went with a bouquet of white lilies and roses on top of him as I do not like the animals to travel alone as anonymous entities on their final journey. The man who came offered us two options for him, the less expensive one was to have his body sent for rendering, the other was to have him cremated. We decided to have him cremated as it would not sit right with my sensibilities to think of his beautiful body being stripped in some horrendous procedure and used for glue & gelatin.
When the lorry back came down I received such a shock as there was a beautiful, big white horse already on board. He had been shot earlier that morning. In some ways it helped to know that Hank's body would not have to travel alone in the back of that big, sterile, cold, metal box but I felt so sad seeing such beautiful creatures laying there on top of each other motionless. I just wanted to see them get up and gallop off and play together in the long grass with the Spring sun on their backs and the wind in their manes. The man who came explained that some people actually chose to have healthy horses put to sleep if they cannot be ridden or are not wanted any more. It brought the memories flooding back of all the 'friends' we have lost over the years and would have done anything to save and how cruel and ruthless some people can be.
We said our last goodbyes to Hank and the lorry left. It seems very empty without him. He was so very big and so very friendly and gentle. I hand reared him from a baby, he has never left the safety of the Sanctuary in all his years and Driver has never been away from his side in all that time. In such a short space of time he has gone - 24 hours ago he was here and happy sitting in the sun in his shelter on a lovely bed of straw with Driver.
The only thing I can tell myself to make the situation any better is that at least he had 10 years of happiness and that if we hadn't taken the huge step of taking him and his brother in, he would never have know any of the lovely summers grazing in the fields, munching his haylage, carrots and feeds and most of all no fear and total security and tranquility. Safe from those who would use, abuse and exploit him and those like him.
God bless you Hank and safe journey over the rainbow.
Just for the sake of clarity - as someone has asked us why we had Hank killed - we didn't - he died of natural causes aged 10.
11th April - Sadie Arrives
We took a call about a small dog called Sadie who was about 15 years old, a bit blind & deaf & was in need of a place to call home! Poor little thing - see Sadie's page HERE
On another subject - if you are looking for pet insurance - click on the compare banner above & if you go on to take out a policy, the company will send £10 to the Sanctuary ! - Costs you nothing extra.
7th April - Sponsorship Updates !
Helen Watkinson has raised £176 so far and is training hard still for the London Marathon on 25th April - Helens page is HERE if you would like to sponsor her.
Supporter Linda Gregory is going to do a sponsored parachute jump on 15th May to jointly celebrate her birthday and hopefully raise some funds for the rescued animals ! - We have set up a page where you can read about the jump, see some pics and also sponsor online. Linda's page is HERE
Fiona was recently asked to be in a film that the Vegan Society are making and had to take a day out of her busy schedule to facilitate the filming. (I took holiday from work to cover the jobs here). The feedback from the production team was excellent and we are hoping that Fiona's work will reach a wider audience through the film when it comes out later this year.
Fiona has been also training VERY hard for her next marathon too which will be in May! She has been running over 100 miles a week for the past 10 weeks & her long Sunday runs have been not less than 27 miles for the past 10 Sundays ! - On top of all the animal work I can tell you that's a TOUGH one - stay tuned for further updates...
We took a Dog in who we have called Jemimah. She was very thin and had been used as a breeding bitch and a baiting dog by frankly very evil people. They use the baiting dogs to get the fighting dogs worked up and poor Jemimah is covered in scars. She has also had some teeth pulled out so she can't do too much dammage to the fighting dogs & worst of all she has had her own tongue bitten off. As a consequence she is a messy eater, and needs special care.
I will update the dogs page with pictures as soon as I get a chance to take some. She has made good progress and has gained weight. She sleeps cuddled up with Pickles and the epeleptic Staffie Poppy.
25th March - Fiona wins another award
Thank you to all who voted for Fiona in the 2010 Stop Cruelty to Animals awards organised by Tino from the Future is Vegan website.
Fiona won £50 as a winner in the animal rights category! The funds will go towards trying to clear Daisy's outstanding vets bill which we are struggling with.
The other winner in this category was Jane Shepherd who runs the Algernon Trust!
23rd March - Builders in !
We are already planning ahead for next Winter's turnout arrangements, and to that end we have builders in at the moment preparing another area of hard standing (concrete) next to the area we had prepared last year on what used to be the lawn !
We are also having a new concrete path laid round the front to run alongside the feed sheds. The ground is so muddy it has become almost impossible to wheel a barrow & so a concrete path will make all the difference.
We are having to push ahead with these projects & fund them ourselves (borrow!) as unless they are started now, the time passes & before you know whats happened, the nights are drawing in again !! The charity FACE (Fight Animal Cruelty Everywhere) has donated £500 towards this particular project & we need to find another £1900 to complete it.
Next on the project agenda is a massive project to dig out the main school and concrete it (£15,000) and to dig out & re do the lower school with wood chips & repair the fencing & drains where necessary another £5000 ! - we will be doing a major appeal for this in a few months as this is a lot of cash ! However it will make the world of difference for the animals and make it easier to manage the muck !
21st pm - Sally-Anne update
Sally-Anne finished her race today at the Reading Half Marathon & has raised a fantastic £1300 for the rescued animals at the Sanctuary ! This is the most Sally-Anne has raised for a sponsored event, and will make a real difference to the Sanctuary which struggles to find the monthly £5300 we need to feed everyone. A big thank you to all who supported & sponsored Sally-Anne.
Supporter Helen Watkinson will be running the London Marathon to raise funds for the animals on 25th April - see Helen's page here
Thank you also to Ian and his menagerie of helpers (Jen, Cath, Beth, Amy, Sophie & Lucy) who came over today to help with a bonfire and to muck out a field shelter !
21st am - Good Luck Sally-Anne!
Today Sally-Anne runs the Reading half Marathon and has so far raised over £1000 for the rescued animals at the Sanctuary ! - See her page HERE
19th March - Sunlight is good for you !
We recently wrote to a company called Sunlight who are the UK's market leader in textile rental & laundry services !! Why did we write to them? - well you see Martin had noticed that the company where he works had started to use very good quality rubber backed floor protectors in the common areas of the building. He thought that these would be perfect for sanctuary as you can imagine 36 sets of muddy paws in & out of the house - having rubber backed high quality rugs down would make a real difference. So we wrote to the company who made them (Sunlight) to see if they would ever be throwing away any old ones & asked if we could have any.
A very nice man called me to say, no problem - we'll send 20 or so !!! and so they did. They are brilliant and just what we need - and they are not even worn ones !! - so that's a bit of good news!
Sunlight's website is HERE & there is a contact button on the page, so if you have time please drop them a line to say thank you for helping us!
13th March - Appeal for Suzanne's dogs
See here
6th March - Helen to run London for the animals
Helen Watkinson is set to run the London Marathon on Sunday 25th April, to raise much needed funds for the rescued animals at the Sanctuary. This will be Helen's 2nd marathon and we wish her all the best for a good run on the day.
If you would like to sponsor Helen for the event, please have a look at this page HERE where you can see pictures and also make a donation by Paypal. The details are there too if you would prefer to send a cheque.
Don't forget that Sally Anne Ryan will be competing in the Reading Half Marathon on 21st March to raise funds for the gang - you can sponsor Sally HERE.
Stay tuned also to hear about another supporter who will be making her first parachute jump and is hoping to raise funds for the animals too !
Fiona will, all being well, be hoping to race in London in April too - more on that later.
This week has been a dry week and some of the waterlogged ground has started to dry out which makes life a lot easier. We still have a long way to go, but at least the days are starting to lengthen which is a big help too. (Cue: thunder & lightening...) We are still without power in the stables & if anyone reading is or knows an animal friendly electrician we would very much like to hear from you.
Our tractor was serviced a few weeks ago & it was great to have her up & running again as we realy can't manage without one. They had to replace the ignition system & upgrade the alternator ...still waiting for the bill - eek! Today's news is that the clutch has gone. It never rains does it.
Re below & the Pigs Out entry - big thanks to Irene who sent us funds to get a new battery !! - Thank you very much !!
Also thank you to all who have helped with the cost of Daisy's final vets bill. The actual bill was much larger than anticipated & we have set up a new Chip In page in the hope that people may send a pound (or a dollar) to help with this bill - the page is HERE
3rd March - House of Lords
Fiona recieved her award at the House of Lords today, and everything went very well. We are waiting to see if anything comes out about it in the media - if you see anything, please do get in touch!
See the pictures of Fiona with Jenny Seagrove here
27th - Pigs out !
Not on strike, but the Pigs across the road decided to go walkabout after their electric fence battery ran down ! They are in paddocks within the field, so only got out of their paddocks & not out of the field, but we needed to get them back to their areas to maintain the harmony, as the different family groups can cause upset when meeting Pigs they don't know ! Fiona had to effect a repair herself on Friday & get the "wanderers" back, and overnight, unfortunately a few more got out again. We have no spare battery and are waiting for the local garage to sort out a few old ones that are no good for cars, but still capable of holding a charge for a few months. - To keep buying new car batteries every few months is an expensive business.
Ian came over from Chelmsford to help me fix the fencing insofar as we could & there were no more escapees today (touch wood). Hopefully the garage will come up with a battery for us soon !
25th Feb - House of Lords
Next Wednesday 3rd March, all being well, Fiona is due to pick up an award at the House of Lords being presented for her outstanding efforts & achievements in the field of Animal Welfare.
Ingrid Tarrant & Wendy Turner will be there along with many other folk including the likes of Anne Widdcombe MP, Anthea Turner, Lorraine Chase, John Altman, Jenny Seagrove & possibly even Fred E. Bear.
OK Magazine will be there along with the Press, so hopefully it will be an opportunity to get Fiona's work and incredible achievements out to a wider audience.
Clearly I shall not be able to attend as I will be taking a day off work to look after the gang here at Sanctuary HQ !
The awards have been arranged by Wetnose Animal Aid who exist to raise funds for animal causes.
20th Feb - The price of Hay
As you can imagine, we use a lot of hay ! - about a year ago we switched over from using the small bales of hay to using very large half tonne bales which have to be delivered by a large farm vehicle which can carry 3 at a time, placing them either in the fields or in the winter turn-out areas. One of the key reasons for the change was to try & ease the workload for Fiona, as the small bales had to be barrowed each day from the store to the various places around the sanctuary & when you have to wheel up to 15 small bales a day, it is not only hard work (on top of all the other work) but also time consuming. So the large bales dotted around the place mean that the Horses and Cows have access to hay all the time - which is better for them as they are "trickle" feeders - their digestive systems work better if they are eating all the time.
Unfortunately, with the rotten weather, hay has been in increasing demand which has pushed the price up ! - we have seen the price nearly double in the past few months - I don't think the government take "hay prices" into account when calculating inflation ! (mind you I don't think they take anything that has actually 'gone up' into account when calculating inflation...)
So as we use a considerable volume of Hay we have seen the feed costs rise considerably this winter - which is all rather unfortunate.
We still use the small bales of hay to make up the hay nets for the stables & their price has risen considerably too.
So if you are not already a member of the Sanctuary, perhaps you might like to consider becoming a 'Hay Member'. This means that you can join the Sanctuary and sponsor the cost of a single bale of hay for the animals on a monthly basis.
For the small bales of hay - you can join as a "Standard Hay Member" for £3.85 a month - the cost of a small (standard) bale of hay. Or you can join as a "Mega Hay Member" for £35 a month - the cost of a Half Ton bale of hay !
You can of course join for any other amount - say £17.50 & be a "Half Ton Hay Member" or perhaps £4.70 a months to be a "Twin Standard Hay Member" - or you can work out your own scheme names based on multiples or divisions of the amounts ! - hours of fun with a calculator..
Whichever scheme you choose, 100% of your monthly donation will be spent on Hay. Nothing will be deducted to pay administration costs or any other expenses, There are no staff here & no salaries to pay so you can be sure that every penny you send is spent on the feed costs of the animals.
Joining the Hay Schemes is a simple as printing a form, filling it in & posting it to the Sanctuary - the form is here. If you cannot print it, mail me on the link at the top of this page & I will post you a copy - or if you bank on-line, you may find you can set up a standing order with the details on the form.
Thank you - Fiona & the Gang (see the bales being delivered HERE)
14th February - Wedding List with a "Difference"
Supporters Marcia and Dave are planning to get married in June this year, but have asked all their friends and family not to buy them the traditional wedding presents ! Instead they would like people to send a donation to the animals at the Sanctuary ! What a lovely thought.
Please see HERE for further details, pictures and the buttons to may a "wedding donation" on behalf of Marcia and Dave
8th February - Sally-Anne Ryan runs for the Sanctuary
Sally-Anne will be running the Reading half marathon on Sunday 21st March in aid of the Sanctuary and hopes to raise as much money as possible for the gang ! - please have a look at this special page we have set up here where you can sponsor Sally-Anne online.
Thank you
7th February - Percy Pig
Percy was rescued in 2002 when he was about 2 days old. He quickly became a favourite at the Sanctuary & most people who have been to the Open Days will have met him. Large White Pigs like Percy are bred for their enormous size and not longevity & their lifespan tends to be between 6 to 9 years. Percy had just turned 7 when he passed on last week in his Pig Ark which he shared with his friend CT.
Percy was the inspiration for the Sanctuary logo above and I have made a short video featuring some pictures of him when he was a baby & some when he was grown up. He will be very much missed and it is difficult to think of him gone. - The video is here
29th January - Daisy goes to sleep
I regret to inform you that Daisy was too ill to be saved and the vet put her to sleep.
I met Fiona at the vets after work as she drove over (30 miles) with Baron Daisy's brother who has been with her all her life (13 years) & had been pining for her. We felt it was right that they should see each other one last time.
When Baron came into the room where Daisy was, she managed to raise her head & they touched noses.
Daisy had cancer in her liver and a large abscess had developed on it's side. the vet said that she had been incredibly strong to walk into the surgery on her own feet. She said also that Boxers have amazing constitutions & can cope with a lot, and Daisy had been coping so well that we didn't know she was even unwell until last Friday. Her condition had progressed to the point where she was unable to cope with it any more.
The only other thing they offered was to do a biopsy, but this would have been painful for Daisy & would only have confirmed what we already knew.
So we made the tough decision to let her go. Baron growled at the vet when she started putting the anaesthetic in & I held her head until her eyes closed for the last time. We were all in tears.
Thank you to all who have helped towards the cost of Daisy's treatment, it really is very much appreciated. Donations are still very welcome to cover this cost - Paypal to fiona@towerhillstables.com
We have cared for & lost scores of older Dogs, but it never gets any easier when they have to leave.
25th Daisy Dog Very Ill
Daisy & Baron (click link to see them) are brother & sister Boxers and were rescued around a year ago. They are very close to each other and live with the oldies gang at the Sanctuary. Daisy has been absolutely fine & has been bouncing around like a puppy most of the time. At the weekend however she went very quiet and has been not wanting to get up. We took her to the vet this morning and they are very concerned about her. She was treated for gastroenteritis but an X Ray has revealed that all is not as it should be inside. Daisy is having a scan tomorrow & so has stayed overnight at the vet.
We are all worried's about her & hope beyond hope that her condition is treatable. She is however 13 years old which is very old for a Boxer.
If you are able to help towards Daisy's vets bill, please do get in touch. Donations can be made by Paypal on the above link - thank you very much
17th January - Update
The past few weeks have been very difficult at the Sanctuary - the main problem being frozen pipes down the stables & into the school areas and in the Pig paddock areas. For about a week we have had to hand carry water to most of the outside animals & carrying water for 30 odd horses & some 45 Pigs is no laughing matter - particularly those across the road.
Now that the pipes have thawed we have quite a few burst stop taps, so need to order replacements (these are the on/off taps that are let into the pipework a few feet before each trough, so you can turn the water off trough by trough for cleaning & maintenance purposes - they are about £15 each!)
We made a video of the animals in the snow which you can see at this link here on YOU TUBE It has had some very nice feedback from those who have seen it so far.
Also there was a quick weather report video by Martin you can see here
Membership of the Sanctuary has actually increased a little over the Christmas period and we now have around 240 people supporting the sanctuary on a monthly basis through standing order or by auto monthly PayPal donations. We are still around £1600 a month short on meeting the feed bills and so still do need to find further support if we are to continue in the medium to long term - so please do pass the sanctuary details onto all your friends and contacts to see if they would be able to help towards the feed costs of the rescues.
We took in another dog last week - another big dog - another Bull Mastiff just like Simon. In fact when we turned up to collect him from the vet where he had been castrated we thought it was Simon from a distance ! - He is however underweight and up close looks like an old man despite only being 18 months. He was due to be put to sleep last week & a volunteer at the kennels where he had been staying asked me if I could fit him in. It is very hard to say no & know that my decision would mean the end of his life, so despite being in the position we are in and with 35 Dogs in the house as it is, we said we would try & help him.
I have not had a chance to take pictures of him yet, but will do so soon.
Some sad news is that Maddie the Lurcher passed away last Thursday. She was the 3rd Dog we ever rescued, the first & second being Monty & Judy who are sadly no longer with us. If you came on any of the Sanctuary Dog walks, you will have met Maddie as she very much enjoyed them. I have updated her page with the details here
Looking forward to the Spring and Summer we have decided to rent some extra grazing for the horses. We have been offered a 3 acre paddock in Tillingham which is very close to where Fiona's Mum lives. Although this is additional expense for the Sanctuary it will be fantastic for some of the horses to have an additional field to graze and mean more grazing here for the ones remaining at Tower Hill Stables.
One other shadow hanging over us at the moment is the threat of increasing hay prices - we use about 100 - 110 bales a week & talking to one of our hay merchants on Saturday they are expecting prices to double by April - which could mean £6 a bale - the maths is frightening, so referring back to the earlier point of trying to increase membership we really need to do all we can to seek further support.
This week, Martin is doing a talk & presentation about the Sanctuary at the local WI group in Burnham, so hopefully that will spread the word a little more. Also in March, all being well, I am to be recognised with an award from the 'Wetnose Campaign' for work in Animal Welfare at the House of Commons presented by Joanna Lumley & Martin Shaw, so hopefully that will generate much needed publicity for the Sanctuary.
31st December - Happy New Year
A big thank you to everyone who has helped the rescued animals at the Sanctuary this year - and thank you to everyone who sent an extra donation for the Christmas Appeal !
If you are a member of the Sanctuary you should have received a Christmas card from the animals as a thank you, unless of course you have asked us not to send one. If you didn't receive one it's probably because we don't have your address ! If you would like one in future please let me have your details by e mail on the link above.
All the cards are hand made for Free by Fred E. Bear & his young assistant Sebastian who feature in one of the 2 Percy stories within this site - see here.
Hopefully we will be able to release another Percy adventure next year.
If you would still like to send a donation for the Christmas Appeal, you can do so on the Donate button at the top of this page - or by cheque payable to Tower Hill Stables Animal Sanctuary, address - Asheldham, Essex. CM0 7DZ
Thank you ! Love from all the Gang !! XX
25th December - A busy Christmas !
Christmas Eve was particularly hectic as we had to collect food that had been donated to us from several different places. Both Martin & I collected a car load from Sainsburies and then we had to collect cat & dog food collected by the charity FACE (Fight Animal Cruelty Everywhere) from Tesco Chelmsford as well as Tesco Maldon.
(Our own abilities to collect food this year were compounded last weekend when our hay merchant dropped a half tonne bail of straw on Fiona's car - not joking - more bills...)
Ian very kindly stepped in and collected the food from Chelmsford whilst we did the Maldon run ! - We are very grateful to Linda Thacker from FACE and her team of volunteers for collecting all the food in her Sleigh over the Christmas period & also to Ian for helping us out & bringing a car load (6 full trolleys) over on Christmas Eve.
Thank you also to the ladies of the Burnham WI who prepared a hamper of Christmas treats and raised a donation of £78 which we were able to collect on Christmas Day for the animals.
Sadly on Christmas Eve Pasha, the elderly German Shepherd passed away leaving Fiona devastated. Pasha had been here for about 2 years, having been thrown out for being old from her previous home. She had been a particularly loyal Dog and had always slept by the side of Fiona's bed.
Loosing Pasha on Christmas Eve is a timely reminder that sadness, suffering and pain carry on 365 days a year and doesn't stop for Christmas. Pasha died peacefully and pain free having found her forever home and having been loved. Her parting at such a poignant time makes us even more determined to continue helping those who are not so fortunate
24th December - Christmas Message
This year we have recorded a special video message from Pickles - see it here
23rd December - as predicted...
Yes, now that the water is back on, we have three stop taps which have succumbed to the expansion properties of ice and split ! - These are the "on/off" taps that are let into the water pipeline to switch off troughs for maintenance etc. So we need to buy three new ones !
22nd December - Water Back On !
The outside troughs have thawed now which is a huge relief - as I am sure you can imagine. All the pipeline will need checking at the weekend to ensure that there are no splits anywhere as clearly thats what tends to happen when pipes freeze !!
20th December - Freezing Conditions
All the outside water pipes have frozen solid ! - we have had to hand carry water from the house for all 35 horses & all the 50 Pigs (across the road) - it has taken 2 hours with Martins help to bucket all the necessary water. Not exactly what we had in mind...
13th December - Christmas Open Day
Thank you to all who came along on Sunday & despite the cold weather everyone enjoyed seeing the Sanctuary and the rescued animals. I will post some pictures to this site shortly. Special thanks to Ian & co who helped us with a few tasks last week !!
28th November - New House for Percy
Percy the Pig has managed to destroy his house, and so with the weather getting worse we had to get a new one sorted so he can stay dry ! - As it is he has made a large nest in a 1000 pound bale of straw we had lowered into his paddock, which he loves, but we needed to get him a roof asap.
Another Pig Arc would have been at least £300 & so necessity proved to be the mother of invention yet again !
Ian came over today to give me a hand building a new house & had a brain wave of moving an old house I built for the goats years ago (which is no longer used, as they have another). This house was in the same field as Percy's paddock, but about 250 yards away.
We were unable to pick it up as it was quite large & cladded with 3/4 ply (very heavy!) & had 8 tin sheets on the roof. So we set to work to dismantle it & when it was down to its frame we managed to carry it up the field & over into Percy's paddock, where we re-assembled it adjacent to the existing Pig Arc, which now has no roof ! (thanks to Percy who decided to modify it a bit)
Then we wombled some further roofing & joined new house to the old Pig Arc, extending the roof of the new house to cover the missing roof on the Arc.
I have to say, it worked out brilliantly & cost just £5 in nails and a few hammered fingers !! - everything else was recycled
Unfortunately, it was dark when we finished & so too late for a picture, but I'll try & get one tomorrow.
22nd November - Christmas Open Day
This year the Christmas Supporters Open Day will be on Sunday 13th December from Noon. If you plan to attend, please let me know we can adjust for catering etc !
16th November - Max update
Fiona spent all night with Max, and he started to get better in the small hours. It's clearly tempting fate to say he is 100% OK now, particularly as the vet said that she had never seen a horse recover from having such a high pulse rate without surgery. 90 beats is nearly 3 times the norm & an indication of extreme pain & therefore something very very wrong inside.
Thankfully we followed Fiona's instinct which was to give Max a bit more time to "sort himself out" as horses can sometimes do with a colic, despite the vets advice to either have him put to sleep or take him to the vets for more tests.
We were reluctant to take him to the vet as they had already said that they would not want to operate on a horse as old as Max, which meant that whatever tests they would do would only defer the inevitable decision to have him put down, only it would put him (& Fiona) through considerable trauma and also mean he was in a strange place with people he didn't know. Also if he was going to sort himself out, it would be better for him to do that in a place where he was familiar with the other animals & where Fiona could be with him all the time.
And this is what seems to have happened ! - The vet said it was a miracle !
Thank you to all who have responded to the appeal below, your kindness is very much appreciated by all the Gang !
15th November - Bad day at Black Rock
Today has been a really bad one - first thing this morning we found Max the horse had gone down in the night with what looked like a bad colic & appeared to be close to death. Fiona has looked after Max for 30 years & cannot remember a time without him - he is almost part of her.
We managed to get him to his feet, but after a few minutes he went down again looking very ill indeed. The vet was called & when she arrived she found that his pulse was racing at 90 whereas it should be between 30 & 40. Pain killers were administered through injection & she had to check Max's bowel for irregularity. Unfortunately all was not well inside his gut & the vet suggested we either send him for emergency surgery or consider having him put to sleep.
At 35 years old, the surgery route was not considered the best approach as the trauma at that age would not bode well - if indeed he were to survive an operation like that.
We decided to wait to see how things went, as the pain killers kicked in & he brightened up a little. Talking to the vet on the phone during the day, she felt that the only option was to put Max to sleep, but we were not sure.
Later in the afternoon, he went to the toilet which was a good sign that things were starting to move through his system, but as his pulse was still high it didn't mean we were out of the woods.
The vet came out again this evening and was pleased with Max's progress today - we are having to check him every 2 hours through the night, as further painkillers have been administered and things could go either way. He has eaten a little food tonight which we hope is a good sign.
He had to have a tube pushed up his nose & down into his stomach to see whether the blockage was causing a back up from his stomach, as in some cases the stomach fluids can come back up their nose & that is a terrible sign. Max hated having the tube inserted (& I can't say I blame him) and had to be anesthetised a little to allow this to be done
Fiona has been with him all the time - thank you to Ian & Catherine who came over to help with the jobs as also today on top of the usual work we have had to take delivery of the hay & straw - 9 half tonne bales. Also I picked up a dog from Southminster & also some people dropped off a Rabbit!
Clearly todays vets callout & fees will not be cheap & also we have to find £667 for Annushka's treatment & 3 day stay at the vets
To be honest, I think we have had it financially - I can't see the Sanctuary carrying on much longer unless we find more people to join & become supporters
Clearly we are grateful to all our existing supporters & those that support each project when it comes round over & over again, but unfortunately the tide of expense is just flowing too fast.
We have seen a few new supporters join in recent months, but more have stopped their support than new have started !
If you are a supporter, Please please please see if you can persuade a friend to help by joining too - it really doesn't have to be much on an individual basis. as few pounds a month, but if enough people join, we can carry on caring for these 400 rescued animals. - All donations go to the animals & nothing in expenses or other costs.
7th November - Annushka
Annushka is an Akita who was about to be put to sleep :0( - read about her here
5th November - Bob the Goat is stolen
If you are on the Sanctuary Facebook group you will already know about this, but basically on 28th October, the gate to Percy's field was cut with bold croppers & Bob the Goat was taken. Bob had lived with his brother Terry in that field for 10 years or so and it beggars belief that anyone would do such a thing.
It happened in the night, as the gate was locked at 8pm on the evening before but in the morning when Martin drove past to work, he saw that the gate was wide open. Now the gate is often open when we are moving the muck or when we have hay & straw deliveries & never in all that time has either Bob or Terry walked out of the field - they have no desire to leave, so we don't think that he just wandered away if it was that someone just cut the chain for no reason.
Terry is very quiet without his brother & clearly upset. The Police were informed & have taken a statement. - Someone also has started a Find Bob the Goat group on Facebook - but so far no news.
28th Shop
This month the shop raised £44 in commission for the Sanctuary last month from 17 people making purchases via the sanctuary shop page !
If you ever shop on line, please see if your retailer (i.e. Play.com, Ebay etc) is available via the sanctuary shop here. It costs you NOTHING more that going to the retailer direct, but go via the shop & the sanctuary earns commission if you buy anything! (paid by the retailer)
Thanks
26th - Lush Grant
Lush the ethical cosmetics company have awarded the Sanctuary a grant towards the costs of preparing all the paddocks and houses for the loch lomond Pigs ! This is fantastic news and better still Lush have done a feature page about the Sanctuary on their website at this link here.
Even more fab is that the lids of the Lush Charity Pots will soon feature the new Sanctuary Piggy Logo ! The Lush Charity Pot is a pot of creme that is sold to raise funds that are distributed to causes Lush supports. Every penny raised from Lush Charity Pot sales (apart from the VAT!) goes to good causes !
23rd October - Chicken Run
Today Martin & his two trusty assistants drove down to Brighton in a borrowed van (thanks Neil!) to rescued 159 hens ! Every 80 weeks the hens at free range farms are slaughtered & a new batch arrives, however this particular farm lets the hens go to homes if they can be found. The rescue operation is organised by Brighton Animal Aid & this time all 7500 hens were homed which was fantastic news.
You can see a 3 minute video of the adventure here
15th - Ebay now available through the Sanctuary Shop
Ebay have now joined the Sanctuary shop HERE joining around 150 other major retailers - vist their site via our shop page HERE and if you make a purchase the Sanctuary gets commission! - Costs you nothing more than if you visit that retailers website direct. Crazy, but true!
Ebay joining is great news as lots of people use this facility - Ebay will pay the Sanctuary commission out of the commission they earn from sellers. Just make sure you visit them via the ebay link in the sanctuary shop HERE & then just do what you normally do. - Please fel free to pass the shop details to anyone you know who buys on line as this is a great way to help the animals without spending anything extra.
14th - New Generator
A big thank you to Susie for getting us a brand new generator ! - one of the items on the wish list. This is fantastic & means we can use power tools down the fields & across the road when we need to shear the sheep ! - Thank you!!! - Wish List here
12th October - Pickles back with his Mum !
Picklet the Piglet is now back with his mum & family following his operation ! We have uploaded a video of him being released into his Mum's paddock - see the link at the top of the Pickles Page HERE
8th - October - Wish List
6th - October - Pickles has Operation
Pickles the Piglet was dropped off at the vets this morning to have his operation. The vet phoned this afternoon to say that the operation had gone well and that Pickles was recovering. Martin picked him up this evening and it all seems to have gone well which is excellent news. Pickles will need to spend a week in a stable before being introduced back to his Mum & family. He wasn't keen to go back into the animal carrier at the vets & gave them the run around !
Thank you to everyone who has contributed towards the cost of this operation - we are all very grateful indeed !
I will get some more pictures of Pickles posted at the weekend & if you would still like to help towards the cost, please see the details on Pickles' page here
27th - Pickles Appeal Update
Since launching the appeal for Pickles' operation yesterday we have raised £250 which is half the cost of the operation ! - A big thank you to all who have helped. Please see Pickles' page here
26th - Painting project kicks off !
Many thanks to Ian & Cathryn who came over on Saturday to make a start on this project - see the projects page & look for the painting project to read what was started & to see pictures
25th September - Vet Visits
When the vets came last Summer to castrate the little boy pigs who had been born here - due to the fact that their Mums were already pregnant before arriving... there were three little Pigs who could not be castrated !
Tickles, Pickles & Giggles were too small to be operated on. They were all runts of the various litters & were far too tiny to withstand a castration operation - so they were left for another visit.
Almost a year on, they are finally big enough & so the vet came today to see to them.
Things didn't go to plan & we have been left with a big problem - see here to read more
19th September - Update
Today we met Charlotte & her mum Claire who came over to help with the filthy project! - see here for more details - click the update button when you get to the page. Unfortunately the 5000 ancient Egyptian slaves mentioned below phoned in sick - eheh
18th September - Filthy Project
Volunteers still required for Saturday's start on the "filthy" project - if anyone knows 5000 ancient egyptian slaves who have nothing planned, send em our way will you? eheh
17th September - Garden Party !
Southend Animal Aid are hosting a Garden party to help raise much needed funds for the Sanctuary. There will be acoustic music, therapies including reiki and massage, tarot readings, jewerly for sale, and food and refreshments (all vegan) will be available. Also facepainting for any little ones! - if you are on facebook please check out this link. If not, & you would like details please get in touch
16th - Bread unwrappers !
Thanks again to Ian, Cathryn & Jen who came over this evening to help unwrap the car load of bread Martin brought home from Sainsburies! you help was again much appreciated.
Project Update - on Saturday we have our first "Filthy" project volunteers who are coming over to help dig through the old muck heap to remove the string & plastic that are in there ! - if you want to join us - please get in touch - 11 am Start on Saturday 19th September !
Gloves a good idea ! - see the projects page for more details
I have also updated the wish list !
15th - Poppy the Dog
We have two dogs called Poppy ! - the most recent one is not on the Dogs page yet, but Fiona took her in June (see 25th June entry below). Unfortunately despite being on daily medication Poppy suffers from bouts of epilepsy every 3 weeks or so. Last night was one of her 'fitting' nights which means from about midnight to 4 or 5 am she has a 3 minute fit every 30 minutes or so. It is terrible to see, but nothing you can do whilst she is trashing about. This was the reason she was going to be put to sleep, but between these episodes, she is a very happy & normal dog - we just have to manage with the eposides as they occur - it does mean no sleep that night though - which is difficult to deal with.
14th September - Bread
Thank you to Ian & Jen who came over last night to unwrap the daily car load of bread from Sainsbury ! - your help was very much appreciated at this difficult time.
A music magazine called "Classic Rock Presents PROG" is due out on 30th September and is one of those magazines that has a FREE CD with it. Martin's band 'Yak' are on the CD with the title track of the album they released called "Journey of the Yak" in November 2008.
Every Yak album sold raises money for the animals here & so far 520 copies have been sold worldwide. The magazine will be available from WH Smith & places like that & hopefully will encourage a few more album sales once people have heard it. The mag has a circulation of around 35,000.
More news will follow on Martin's Yak website here in due course
In other news - Percy the Pig has adopted a piglet who is called Little Percy. He moved in with Percy & CT last weekend ! - more news on this story soon (+ pics)
13th September - Disaster
Fiona has broken two bones in her foot. She has no idea how it happened, but yesterday evening her foot was painful to put to the floor. This morning it was swollen & bruised and she was in considerable pain. Her Mum took her to Broomfield Hospital where the X Ray confirmed that there were 2 broken bones. To say Fiona is devastated is an understatement as she was in full training for an end of year marathon. Now she is on crutches & having to cope by hopping about. Great! (not). The Hospital said she must have complete rest (well not actually the hospital, but rather the Dr she saw..) Unfortunately, the word rest is not in Fiona's vocabulary - how can it be with 400 animals to care for!
12th September - Project work
This weekends work party consisted of Ian & his daughter Cathryn (who you can see in the Dog walk video here).
Ian & Cathryn were working in the Pigs fields clearing the vegetation that grows round the boundary as when it touches the electric fence cable, it shorts the battery out, so it is important to ensure that the long grass & blackberries growing round the edge are trimmed away - well OK long grass trimmed away & blackberries...eaten eheh
Thanks guys for your help today - much appreciated - especially Cathryn (12) who donated her pocket money to buy a sack of feed for the animals.
If you want to help with any of the projects listed on the Projects page, please get in touch
11th September - Feed Appeal
Now stands at £1540. Thank you to all who have helped raise this amount towards the £8500 we owe. If you can help, please use the PayPal button above or contact us by e mail if you want to send a cheque. There is still a long way to go !
10th September - Simba
Simba the Dog, is an elderly gentleman who arrived a few weeks ago. He was not very well at all on arrival and was not able to stand for very long. Unfortunately also he is entire (not castrated) & so this can be difficult with the other male dogs - not a problem for the females as Simba is past worrying about that sort of thing !
Simba has however made wonderful progress and is able now to spend hours exploring the garden & wanders quite a long way (supervised). We have made him a pen area on the lawn out of sheep hurdles, with a bed, & when he is tired of exploring, he goes there to lay down. Fortunately with the weather having been nice these past few weeks he has been able to spend all day outside & at night he fits in with the elderly gang & sleeps on the floor (on a cushion) in the bedroom. I have taken some pictures of him which you can see here
6th September
The feed appeal has raised just under £1500 so far towards the £8500 backlog we owe for feed. Thank you to all who have helped raise these funds it really is very much appreciated. We still need to find £7000 as well as of course the on-going monthly feed costs & we remain about £1800 short each month of the £5300 we need to feed everyone.
Additionally we have a number of projects which need to be done ahead of the Winter as per the projects page & we need to raise several thousand pounds for these too, so all in all we still have some way to go before we can see the light.
We have had a new area built for some of the ponies to winter out in - this involved putting in a new concrete base and moving one of the mobile field shelters - as soon as this project is complete I will post the pictures (cost £1700)
This week we also managed to get 2 more Loch Lomond Pig families moved out into paddock areas - we have had the workmen in to prepare the areas and the Pigs moved across on Friday - see pics here. This is work detailed on the Pigs project page & although we haven't had funding we have had to borrow the money as this project was really important to achieve ahead of the Winter as we need the stables for the older horses.
The critical aim remains to substantially increase the number of members the Sanctuary has from 200 to nearer 500 if we are to have a future. The regular monthly support is absolutely vital to help us with the feed costs. Sadly we have seen overall membership decline over the past few months as people feel the pinch of the economy, of course we cannot stop feeding the animals, so if you do know anyone who might want to help through sponsorship of a rescue, please do ask them to have a look at the website. Please remember that this is not a business - every penny recieved goes towards the feed bills or the project costs (if specified), not one penny is deducted to pay salaries, rent, expenses or anything else.
Thank you to all our supporters, we could not do this without you.
27th August - New Video for Feed Appeal
As you may know if you are on the Tower Hill Sanctuary Group on Facebook we have launched an appeal to try & raise funds to cover our overdue feed account as we owe over £8500 - clearly this is on top of finding the money for the monthly feed bills on an ongoing basis - as well as vets fees & funds for the projects listed on the projects page.
All in all we are in a very difficult spot as unless we can raise the funds and/or increase membership of the Sanctuary, the future is not looking good for the gang.
Since the Facebook appeal was launched 2 days ago the Sanctuary has received £260 in donations towards the feed costs which is fabulous news, Plus a new member has joined to support the ongoing costs which is also brilliant news.
To show people a little more about the work Fiona does with the animals here I have created a new video which is some 9 minutes long ! It's a short film really ! - I have set it to music too & it shows many of the rescued animals at the Sanctuary as well as showing people the work that Fiona does herself directly with the Sanctuary i.e. the daily care of of 400 rescues with no staff Plus the incredible athletic achievements Fiona has realised.
It took several attempts to load to Youtube as the file was 216meg ! - I can't currently persuade Facebook to load it though !
Please do have a look, and watch it in 'full screen' mode. (button in bottom right of video image screen - 2nd from the extreme right)
The soundtrack is by me & is being sold to raise funds for the animals - Over 500 CD's sold so far worldwide - details at the end of the video
9th August - Dog Walk
The first fundraising Dog Walk of 2009 was held today & 3 people came along to help walk the rescued Dogs. Ian & his two daughters - Jen & Cathryn - took Poppy, Tess, Buddy & Looby Loo out for about an hour and a half - shorter than usual as it was very hot.
A short video clip is here (music to be added...)
Everyone had a great time and Ian provided the entertainment by performing a most spectacular 'trip' over a root & very nearly but not quite managing to stay upright for about 10 seconds as he tumbled along the path, eventually crashing spectacularly into some brambles ! He never let go of Buddy throughout the entire "trip" proving his total dedication to the safety of his 4 legged friend. A few scratches to Ian's elbow were sustained but otherwise we expect him to make a full recovery !
Baked potatoes were served on our return together with lashings of orange juice !
Whilst we were out I took a call from a near neighbor who had "acquired" a young black & white Cat. Wondering whether it was one of ours or a stray he asked if we could help. So after the walk was over we all went up to the house with a cat basket and caught the little fellow who was quite tame, but a little nervous. He was not one of our Cats, but we took him and have put him in a feral pen. We will take him to the vet to be scanned for a chip this week & if he has no chip, we will ensure he/she is neutered and then integrate him with the Sanctuary gang.
This page was last updated on: July 14, 2010
Latest
Sanctuary
News
Hear Fiona on the Radio
