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.
31st July - Hay Alert (take II)
We received a call to say that the next (& last) two hay fields will be cut today & that they expect to start baling on Sunday pm - depending on the weather.
We will not know for sure until Sunday morning, but if you want to help please get in touch. It is likely that we will be collecting 300-400 from Sunday pm.
I am off work on Monday (Martin) so if anyone has time during the day - that would be ideal
Each bale collected saves the Sanctuary around £2 - so this is a really great way to help !
28th July - Hay Team Day 3!
149 bales collected ! - see the Hay Team page for details
27th July - Hay Team Day 2 !
99 bales were collected in tonight ...& not a red balloon in sight anywhere - see the Hay Team page for more details
26th July - Hay Team Update
The call came to get the Hay on Saturday (25th) it was being bailed on Sunday & would be ready to collect from 3 !
Three helpers came along - all the way from West London too ! Magda, Klemens & Ana - Magda's mum ! Magda, Klemens & Martin collected 200 today & we stacked them inside the stable block whilst Ana stayed at base camp & made a massive in-road on the crate cleaning project ! - see the various project pages for more details & pictures
23rd July - Hay Team
As you may have read below, one of the projects likely to kick off at any time is the Hay Team ! Tonight the farmer who makes the hay has called to say he expects the first bales will be ready on Monday ! - so if you are able to join the Hay Team we would very much like to hear from you.
It is a case that many hands make light work !
14th July - Sheep Shearing
We were able to borrow a generator in order to get the sheep sheared across the road. This is a big job, but all 18 living in that field are done now - here is a video of them. It took poor Fiona 3 hours to rake up all the wool you will see in the video !
7th July - New Projects Page
We have set up a new series of pages that detail the current list of projects that we need help with - both in terms of manpower as well as financial - please have a look HERE
6th July - Babe on the Run
I went to fetch a bag of Dog food from the fed store at lunchtime today & heard some commotion from down the stables - on investigation, one of the Pig families had pushed their door off its hinges and were having a ball down the stables. All the horses were already turned out, but Tzars stable door was open & one of the small piglets had gone in there to investigate. Unfortunately at the back of Tzars stable, the breeze blocks have been kicked loose & there is a hole that the cats use to come & go. Babe, the small piglet saw me & decided that it would be funny to head out the hole!
The hole led to a foot wide corridor between the back of the stableblock and next doors prize garden! I ran to look out of Tzars window to see that Babe had found a fox hole in the wire fencing & was heading off to explore the gardens!
Martin was across the road sheering the sheep & I ran over there to get his help. A quick look round the garden resulted in zero sightings, so Martin went to the house to "explain". As it happened, Bernie was in her garden & Martin explained that there may be an unwelcome intruder about ! Bernie helped Martin look & spotted Babe who was running up towards their house - Martin takes up the story..
I chased Babe to the front garden, & he made a bid for the fencing in the top corner - the road was the other side of the fence & just as I got to him, he pushed through the fence, but headed left into Bernie's neighbors garden. I was unable to follow, so ran back home & then down the road to the 2nd house along. Two little girls were cleaning their dads car & I explained that there may be a piglet heading their way! With much excitement they fetched their Dad, Rick & I explained the position.
This garden is very large & we scouted round & enlisted the help of Chris another nearby neighbor. Unfortunately we drew a blank & I was setting off to head further up the road when one of the little girls shrieked that she had seen him in the undergrowth !
We all closed in & Babe was hiding beneath some low hanging fruit trees. He was cornered an all sides but then tried to go back into Bernie's garden. As he plunged at the wire I made a dive & managed to grab his back leg - the squeals probably broke a few nearby windows but I wasn't about to let go !
Babe actually soon went quiet & I set about retuning home - Colin & Bernie let me climb back through their garden to get home which I was most grateful for as it cut several 100 yards off the road way home & despite being small, Babe is not that light !
Safely back with Mum in his stable we set about clearing up the devastation caused by the Pig gang. In their travels they had also smashed down Edward Pigs door & he was in Charity's stable (she was out) having a snooze.
Clearly we are very grateful to all who helped with the capture of Babe & we are sorry for any inconvenience caused.
This episode does highlight two important projects which we are desperate to advance but are not in a position to do so at present. Firstly, the two remaining Loch Lomond families need to be moved out into a paddock across the road. They are going to move in with Percy Pig and CT who live together in a very large area - however at present, the fencing to Percy's field is not adequate for these smaller Pigs & we need to sort that out.
Secondly, the reason they pushed their door open in the first place is because many of the doors are well past their best & urgent repair work is required - in many cases new hanging posts will be required & there is probably a few thousand pounds worth of general building work needed to get all the dodgy doors fixed to a safe & usable standard. In the meantime we have had to put sheep hurdles inside the stable doors & fasten them in place. This means the pigs cannot push the doors open, but also means that we have to climb in & out to get to them - this is not ideal with buckets of water as I am sure you can imagine.
There are actually quite a few projects we now need help with so I have set up a new projects page HERE where you can read about them & either volunteer your physical help - where appropriate or make specific donations to help with a particular project.
25th June - Poppy II
About a week ago we took in an epileptic staffie called Poppy. She is quite insecure and was facing being put to sleep - like so many of her type (Staffies). She has made friends with Tessy and sleeps curled up with her. I will post her picture as soon as I get a chance.
Blackie Cat (from below) continues to improve, although his leg is still not 100% - will be a few weeks yet I think.
11th June - a wonderful surprise
Today we received a visit from Dean Blackstock - one of the Doctors from the Spinal Health Clinic in Brentwood - who was delivering a donation of £180 raised from a Raffle held at the Clinic's recent Summer Party. The Spinal Health Clinic are Chiropractors dealing with, amongst other things, diet, nutrition, back and neck pain. Their website is HERE so if you do have problems on any of the related issues, check it out - they do come highly recommended from a number of my supporters as, and I quote, small 'miracle workers'!
We are very grateful for the donation and would like to thank all the Clinic staff for organising the Raffle and deciding to support the Sanctuary with the proceeds, and everyone who attended the party helping raise this super donation.
9th June - Blackie Cat pics
From the entry for 5th June below, as promised here are some pictures of Blackie's poorly leg ! A big thank you to those who have got in touch to help with the cost of his vets bills. Thank you very much. Pics HERE
7th June - Sheep Shearing
The Sheep Shearing season is on us again !
Just a plea to ask whether anyone has a portable petrol or diesel generator that will produce more than 300 watts & has a plug socket? Please let us know if you can help - thank you
5th June - Blackie Cat at the Vet
Blackie Cat was a feral who has tamed up and lives outside with the majority of the Cats. Yesterday I thought he had been run over as one of his hind legs was lifted so high as to be almost on his back - looked like it had been dislocated. He was walking on the other 3 legs and was easy to catch and get to House & Jackson Vets. Following an examination it turned out that it was not broken or dislocated but he had cut himself and the wound had become infected causing the leg to swell and be held in a very strange way. The Vet has administered a long lasting antibiotic & expects Blackie to make a full recovery.
If you are able to help us with the £51 vets bill for this we would be very grateful as it is costs like this, on top of the feed bills that we really struggle to find. Thank you from Blackie - a pic will be posted soon.
3rd June - BBC
The Animals Count visit to the Sanctuary was featured on the BBC website - HERE
A short video of the animals is also streaming on the main Animals Count website HERE
2nd June - Animals Count
Today, the Eastern region candidates for the political party "Animals Count" Jasmijn De Boo and Richard Deboo were joined by the Actor Nicholas Ball (amongst other things 'Hazel' in the 70's & currently in Eastenders!) on a trip to Tower Hill Stables to meet Fiona and the gang and to take some publicity shots as part of their campaign for the June 4th Elections.
The shots will soon feature on the Animal Count website HERE, but here are a few pics we took in the meantime!
23rd May - Looby Lou
Clearly having 36 dogs living in the house as well as all the animals outside is a mammoth task, however like so many staffies. Looby Lou was facing the needle, so we said we would take her - Her page is here & she would very much like you to sponsor her !
2nd May - Wish list updated !
Please See here
26th London Marathon
Fiona finished the race 32nd place (4th in age cat) in 2 hours & 58 minutes - a great result, although not the time she would have run if her knee hadn't of hurt so much. As 10 miles she said the pain was so bad that she was almost in tears but then saw a sign that some vegans had put up willing her on & thanking her for what she does for the animals & she pushed on.
Now, don't misurderstand this, a sub 3 hour time is a very good MALE club runners dream time & for a FEMALE it is a fabulous achievement and we are delighted with the result. However Fiona's knee has taken a pounding & she had to see a doctor after the race as it had puffed up considerably. It is actually unbelievable that anyone with a knee replacement is running at all at this level & distance, but to do a sub 3 hour time with one is utterly incredible.
The other "issue" was the women's start. Usually there are 150-200 elite women who have qualified for the elite start by completing a previous race in under 3 hours 15 minutes & in all the previous London Marathon you will have seen a this large number of women athletes all start off 45 mins ahead of the men.
However this year they only let 18 of the top international runners form the elite womens start & all the rest had to start behind the men with the masses in the main race. As expected this cause quite a few issues & there was no way Fiona was going to put in a PB effort from that kind of start. Had she of run harder, she would have probably injured herself badly & we have to think about the animals here as I only have so much holiday from work & Fiona has to do the work of 5 men (that's 5 Big men) alone.
We "understand" & this may not be true, that the reason they did this to the womens race was because last time, the wheel chair racers complained that there were too many women runners in their way - they let the wheel chair racers off between the elite women & the main race. So by only letting 18 of the very fastest women off first, there will only be a few women to get round (for the faster racers) rather than 200 odd. We think it would have been fairer to reduce the qualifying time to 3 hours from 3.15 as that way all the very best females would have had a shot at running a decent race on a clear road - but we don't make the rules...
Needless to say the other elite females finding themselves thrown in behind the men & with the masses were unamused & many will be complaining - although for what that achieves....I wonder what the point is.
Still, its good to know that Fiona still beat Vegan hating Gordon Ramsay by over an hour - & given the male:female factor, thats 90 minutes quicker than him. We have at last, & thanks to Amanda Baker at the Vegan Society, managed to get an article published in the media about this Ramsay vs Oakes story - It's on the Russia Today website see link below.
Russia Today, Today, Tomorrow the UK media? ...perhaps not - if only Fiona had bigger ***'s or 15 illigitimate kids from 23 different fathers or was a foul mouthed as Gordon Ramsay - then they might be interested...
Article here
A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL WHO SUPPORTED FIONA TODAY we really appreciate it
Love from all the Gang ! XXX
23rd - St Georges Day Update
I have updated one more of the Dogs pages - you can now read Snowy's story on the Dogs Page - (click on her picture) or go straight there at this link here
14th April - Another Cockerel Dumped
The Hens wander wherever they like within the bounds of the Sanctuary, however although the property is ring-fenced, the fox tends to make holes in the fence which some of the hens discover and visit the grassy swathe outside the front of the property. We block up the holes, but new ones appear - so it's an uphill struggle ! However, the Hens do not wander & always return to the stables to roost at night.
As I was taking muck across the road this evening I noticed a large white/golden cockerel on the swathe & initially thought it was the one who had been dumped here on 6th April (see below) however he had no red staining under his chin (see explanation below) so I knew it wasn't him. I decided that perhaps he was one of ours afterall & had followed the hens out through the latest Fox hole. However an hour later & with dusk falling I saw that he was still on the wrong side of the fence & clearly didn't know where to go or what to do. All the Hens had returned through their hole but he had not followed - too big perhaps.
Try as I might, I couldn't get him to go up the drive & several times I thought he may bolt into the road. Eventually though I got him to go up the drive & I had left the gates open to encourage him in.
As he approached the stable block, the other cockerels, including the one from 6th below attacked him, confirming my thoughts that this was not one of ours ! - 30 minutes later I caught him & put him in a chicken shed for the night where he will be safe & from where tomorrow he can explore the sanctuary & meet the others. There will be fights again until the hierarchy is established.
I just wish the person/people who is/are doing this would contact us & at least hand the bird(s) over in a civilised fashion as we just haven't got the time to waste catching birds who do not want to be caught. At the moment the balance between the existing Cockerels & hens is working well - however extra male birds can cause chaos & terrible fighting can occur.
Just dumping birds outside the property hoping they may follow the hens back in is irresponsible & if a bird runs into the road a driver may swerve & cause a crash/death - have you though about that? - This is a terrible corner, there are many car accidents on it as it is without panicking birds running about.
13th April - Jain Festival
Update from Martin - It's my birthday today & as special treat I will be mucking out stables all day long ! It's been a busy weekend as I had to leave Fiona alone here on Friday & Saturday to attend a stall at the Jain Festival in Harrow to hand out leaflets & collect donations for the Sanctuary. Fiona had just started her "tapering" for the Marathon which means she is starting to cut the mileage & training down in order to recover from the last 4 months of grueling training where she has been running between 80 & 100 miles a week. Last week she cut to a mere 60 miles & this week it's 30 & then in the last week before the race she will be only doing light exercise - don't forget though that Fiona's lightest exercise would kill a reasonably fit commando !
Trying to rest here though is an impossibility as the "animal jobs" are enough work for 5 men (that's 5 big men!) alone - so it is important that I try & help as much as I can in the next few weeks in order to give Fiona a fighting chance of getting the recovery she so desperately needs.
Obviously attending a stall for 2 days wasn't a great start, particularly as the weekly shortfeed had to come early due to easter & so arrived on Thursday whilst I was not here to help unload the 10 tons of feed & hay. Plus the local paper came round to take pictures & whilst this is good for publicity, it has to be fitted in around Fiona's training and all the normal animal jobs - which increases the pressure & stress for Fiona.
However I met some lovely people at the Jain Festival and handed out lots of leaflets and collected around £150 - even selling a handful of Yak CD's !! - I must also mention the food which was served - it was absolutely fab! It was also lovely to meet Jean who I shared the stall with. Jean was collecting for Farm Animal Rescue in Warwickshire whom she has supported for many years.
If you are not familiar with Jain's - please check out this link
Some sad news is that Bruce passed away on Thursday night. Bruce has lived here for around 18 months. He had been initially found wandering the streets in Islington and once rescued had been passed from pillar to post as he was incontinent. Finally we were asked to take him & he lived happily with Simon's gang. Despite his years, he even used to go on the Dog monthly walks which he enjoyed very much. We will miss him very much.
Fiona has raised over £350 for the Sanctuary for the Marathon & if you want to support her please go here !
Thanks
6th April - Marathon Sponsorship
Many thanks to Cliff at Fern Tor the Vegan B & B for featuring me on his page here. Also thank you to Susie at Ethical Singles likewise here and to Brian at Vegan London here
I am trying to raise as much publicity as possible to try & get some sponsorship for the Sanctuary on the back of my running - the total raised so far is £126 - see the dedicated page HERE
Thank you
6th April - New Rooster
As I was feeding the Cats this evening in the front garden - I have to wait till dusk so that all the hens have gone away back to the stables, otherwise they will eat all the cat food! - when my attention was drawn by a very large white/golden/red cockerel perched on a clothes horse a few feet from where I was kneeling down. I knew immediately that he must have been dumped here as:
a) I know all our Cockerels by sight & name & I have never seen this one before
b) This one was "roosting" outside in the open - so clearly had no idea where to go
c) This one was covered in blood - so had been fighting - hence the "red" above
Martin had just got home from work & it was about quarter to 8 pm. We approached the bird, but he was obviously scared & ran away. It was vital to catch the fellow, as otherwise he would roost outside & probably end up being taken by a fox. 30 mins later we successfully cornered him & cleaned up his wounds. Clearly the incumbent Cockerels - who are quite settled as a group - will take a dim view to any newcomer & fight.
We have put him in one of the old hen houses for the night and hopefully he will settle in properly tomorrow.
The gate has been locked all day & so I can only imagine that someone has arrived here & thrown him over the garden gate - nice. What are some people like? No consideration for the existing Cockerels or this poor fellow.
We have called him Herman - don't ask
Herman is available for sponsorship & I will publish his picture soon
5th April - Prima Magazine Article
The May edition of Prima Magazine is now out & features a short article on the Sanctuary on Page 89 ! - Check it out. I will get it scanned & posted here in a few days
1st April - Dumper Truck Arrives !
The 2 ton dumper truck arrived this morning - see the pics here
A big thank you to all who helped us with the costs of getting this piece of equipment for the Sanctuary
I have also added a few more "faces" to the Dogs Page - not all linked to stories yet, but the faces are there - still more to add...
26th March - Update
Dumper truck arrives this weekend ! - Pictures will be posted as soon as we have some. Thanks again to all who helped purchase this piece of equipment !
I have also set up a page about Fiona's Running HERE !
18th March - Still..
..waiting for a delivery date for the Dumper - have chased again today - will advise as soon as we know !
12th March - Update
We should take delivery of the Dumper Truck within a week & when this happens we will take some pictures and get them uploaded to the site.
A new Horse arrived a few months ago & I don't think I have mentioned him yet on this site. He was saved from slaughter in France and brought back to this country. The lady who had him needed to home him so she could rescue others & I agreed to take him. He is called Tzar & is an Ex Police Horse - He is very thin, but slowly putting on weight - see him HERE
Daisy & Baron the two elderly Boxers rescued recently are getting on very well with the others - sadly however Baron is not a well dog. He is drinking excessively which is a sign of possible kidney failure. I had to take him to the vets yesterday & we are waiting the results of blood tests. As soon as we have the results I will let you know.
Martin's CD has now sold over 250 copies to raise funds for the animals & was chosen as the album of the month (Jan) by a Progressive Rock website see HERE
You can still order a copy HERE
We will look to start the monthly dog walks up again soon, but probably not before the London Marathon as Fiona is training so very hard - over 90 miles a week with a 20+ mile run on Sundays - so we are flat out with the jobs - as you can imagine. As the marathon is at the end of April & Fiona will not be training (much..) in the week before we may be able to squeeze one in.
Some sad news is that Beanie has gone to sleep - Beanie was an old Spaniel and attended the very first Dog Walk, but ended up taking a ride in a pram for most of the way ! - he really enjoyed it. He will be missed by all his friends.
28th February - Dumper Truck Appeal Update
A big thank you to all who have donated or pledged funds towards this appeal - we have now raised enough to buy the vehicle which is fantastic news ! Thank you to all who have helped make this happen. As soon as the vehicle arrives I will post pictures to this website.
Any donations that are recieved in excess of what is required will go towards the feed bills for December & January, which were over £12,000 & we are about £3,500 short of paying for them. Donations are still very welcome either by cheque or PayPal to fiona@towerhillstables.com
Roxy the Bull Terrier arrived yesterday - another old girl facing the needle. Her claws were so overgrown they were digging into her pads on all 4 feet - poor little thing - I will post her picture soon
Thanks again all for your continued support - anyone wishing to join & help with the monthly feed bills is very welcome - just print & fill in this form HERE - no amount is too small & 100% goes towards the feed bills. Thank you.
22nd February - Update
First off, Daisy & Baron are now part of the oldies gang - see the new picture on their page here
Another very busy weekend - all the concrete areas have been cleared out (a regular Sunday task!) and on Saturday the weekly feed delivery arrived - 100 bales of Hay + 50 bales of Haylage + around 100 sacks of feed! - quite a few tons to unload.
Additionally we have had another 8 tons of straw put into the lower school to make a firm base for the horses. The other school was done a few weeks ago & it has worked very well. The weather was great on Saturday, but it will take a few weeks of days like that to dry the ground out - so forget that then !
Fiona had to jump in a ditch whilst out running today as some idiot driver failed to see her - well his phone call was important you see... - & he had the temerity to turn round & come & give her a load of verbal abuse for being on the road. - It's enough to make you think that it is almost pointless trying to achieve anything.
Some good news is that one of our supporters is offering to help us buy a very useful piece of equipment ! It is not something which is on the wish list as it is a bit expensive ! - It's a 2 ton Dumper truck ! This is something that would be very useful for helping us move the muck across the road.
Cleary a new one is ludicrously expensive, but we have located a good 2nd hand one for £1500. Our supporter is offering to "match donations" up to half the cost of the truck. So we need to raise £750 & they will match that & donate another £750.
This is a great chance for us to get hold of a piece of equipment like this but we need to raise the funds within 2 weeks or else it will be sold elsewhere. If you would like to help us with this please please get in touch ! No donation is too small ! This is what they look like
We are struggling with the feed bills at the moment as Dec & Jan were over £12,000 and we just don't know how we are going to find what we owe - we are about £3500 short.
If you are able to help by joining the Sanctuary (from just £1 a month) please do get in touch - all the donations go towards the feed bills & nothing is taken to cover any sort of expenses.
21st February - Baron & Daisy
A few weeks ago Fiona read about the plight of Baron & Daisy - two 12 year old Boxer crosses who were facing being put to sleep as their owner no longer wanted them. Brother & Sister had been together all their lives but now the family had a baby, the Dogs had to go
The photo's being circulated on the Internet showed the two old & venerable dogs & Fiona said that if no alternate home were found, she would take them as it is so hard to find anywhere for "oldies" to go & so often they are put to sleep.
Very kindly two Sanctuary members, Carina & Rob went to fetch the Dogs for Fiona & they arrived today.
Daisy & Baron were perfect in the car and are now having a sleep in a room on their own for tonight. They will be introduced to the other oldies tomorrow. See them HERE
9th February - Marathon Training
Fiona is not only doing the work of 5 men (that's 5 big men) at the sanctuary, but also having to find time to training hard for the London Marathon. Sunday is her "long run" day & on the flooded roads she put in 25 miles this Sunday at a sub 3 hr pace. After 10 miles, she ran past a property whose 3 dogs ran out as she approached. One bit her in the knee drawing blood. With 15 miles still to go, I know what 99.99999999999% of people would have done, but there's "tough", there's "really tough" ...& then there's Fiona.
Needless to say she is in a lot of pain, as it has now stiffened up.
8th February - Charity Auction Update
The Swedish Crystal Glasses that Fiona was selling on eBay were sold for the grand sum
of £230 ! - This will help towards this months feed bill. (see 24th Jan entry for details)
7th February
A few weeks ago we were contacted by someone who works for Hozelock who had been researching the Internet and came across the sanctuary website - specifically the wish list where we have asked for Hozelock hose fittings to replace broken and worn ones we have here. They kindly offered to send a few pieces on behalf of the company. Click here to see what they sent !
28th January - New way to donate !
If you would like to donate via PayPal on a REGULAR basis - particularly useful if you are outside the UK, we can support this now via the wonders of modern technology - see HERE
Oh, and yes - 2 more old Dogs are on their way ! - more details soon
27th January - Sanctuary Shop
The commission cheque generated from purchases through the Sanctuary webshop arrived today. See HERE. It was for £39.26 & was generated from 22 people visiting the shop in December & making a purchase from one of the 150 retailers signed up to the scheme.
In case you are not familiar with the shop, basically if you ever shop on-line, please see if the retailer you want (Amazon, Play.com, M & S etc etc) is available via the Sanctuary shop front. All you do is visit the retailers website via the shop page & buy there online as usual - It costs you nothing more than visiting their site direct, but if you go via the Sanctuary shop, the retailer pays the Sanctuary commission ! - Yes it's mad, but if you can't beat em ...
Visit the shop HERE
24th January - Charity Auction
It's been another grim weekend in terms of weather & work here at the Sanctuary. The rain has flooded everywhere making the usual grueling tasks even more grueling than usual. Masha the Horse has hurt her leg and needs to be rested in a stable for a few weeks - but we have no free stables, so we have had to improvise. The problem is that just to do the normal caring and feeding is a "full on" all day activity, so to fit anything extra in is a real challenge.
To free up a stable we had to build an aviary for the Peacocks! - There were some old aviary panels down by the chickens area which were no longer being used, but to free them up wasn't easy as they were literally stuck into the ground. Digging them out was very hard work & to show how stuck they were we actually snapped not one, but two pitch forks! - They were the wooden handled type rather than the metal ones!
Having sorted the Peacocks, we got Masha in. She is happily in her stable now resting her leg.
Additionally today we took delivery of 8 giant straw bales for the Pigs over the road to play in - their last straw bales have disappeared now & the fields are so wet, more straw is needed to give them a dry area to play & eat on.
Also today a Cat arrived. Fiona hadn't told me another Cat was coming until this morning. The man arrived at lunchtime & I went to meet him. He handed me the cat in a basket & I asked how old she was. 19 he said. Oh, I replied - Have you had her long? - Yes, since she was a kitten came the reply. I see, I said. What's the problem? - Well, she's old now & I can't look after her anymore he said. I asked if she was used to Cats & Dogs? - Oh no, she's been alone all her life with me. He said it was either bring her here or have her put to sleep.
Not that it makes any difference, but he was a Priest ! I find it incredible that people can decide to put an animal they have had all it's life into an alien environments for, let's be honest, the last few months of its life - at 19 she won't have a lot of time. But hey ho
Finally - an auction on ebay to hopefully raise funds for the animals.
So if you are into fine Swedish Crystal Glass from about 1993 - then check out this listing HERE. There are 5 "Clown Series" champagne glasses hand painted by Ann Nilsson who worked for the Swedish glass company Orrefors in the 90's. We noted that a single pair went last week for over £90.
Fiona is selling these to try & help with the feed costs as we continue to struggle
22nd January - Vladimir update
Vladimir, as mentioned below (14th Dec entry) is doing well and has gained some weight now. Hopefully he will be strong enough to be "seen to" soon and then we can start to integrate him into the blind dog "gang" - I have uploaded some pictures of him here
10th Jan - Ice cold in Asheldham
It's been a grim week - probably the toughest week Fiona has ever known at the Sanctuary. We have had cold snaps before, but we have considerably more larger animals than ever before and of course all the water troughs & pipes supplying them have been frozen all week. This means that Fiona has had to hand carry water from the house to all the horses, Pigs & Cows - including across the road to where about 60 of the animals live.
This is a very hard way to carry on & has added considerable effort to the already ridiculously heavy workload that Fiona has to endure. Plus unfortunately I picked up a shocking cold at work, which obviously I have passed onto Fiona. she always gets hit harder than I do due to her levels of fitness (resting pulse a mere 27 - straight up). Fiona cannot ring in sick or stay in bed, so she has had to knuckle down & get on with it - this is very tough.
Hopefully the end of the freeze is in sight.
This page was last updated on: February 8, 2010
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