Farm Animal Rescue Sanctuary, aka FARS, is a non-profit making organisation. 100% of our profits are used to care for rescued animals from abuse and neglect and to maintain and improve the site.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND US:
FARS is set in the district of Warwickshire and despite belonging to Stratford-upon-Avon, it is tucked away from town, in the beautiful countryside of Wolverton, only a couple of miles from Shakespeare's town centre.
Our Team:
We are a small group of very commited and dedicated volunteers, all with different skills, and all from different backgrounds, led by a true hero, the founder of the sanctuary, Carole Webb.
After moving locations several times since 1988, Carole and her animals began their new life, here in Wolverton in 2000.
Our newest team member ran 79 MILES to support this appeal!!!!
Our newest volunteer JP is a coach, motivational speaker, author and a plant-based athlete. With over 250k followers on his social media, JP is hoping to boost our appeal to raise more money and awareness about our sanctuary.
On 27th February he ran 79 miles ( the equivalent of 3 marathons) in under 24 hours. As if that doesn't sound crazy enough, the craziest part is, that only in May 2019, JP sustained life threatening injuries after being hit by an uninsured driver during a charity bike ride, raising money for brain cancer. Both of his legs were broken during the accident and he now has metal rods in the middle of his bones from his hips to his ankle.
For more information please check out JP's Instagram account: j_p_d_v
Please sponsor, share or donate through our link to support his incredible story!
Our Aim:
Our intention is to make sure that our animals are cared for and well looked after, no matter what the situation.FARS became a project for Carole to work on in order to keep her rescued animals safe and she still requires a lot of support and funding to bring the site to where she'd like it to be. There is still a lot of work to be done and each day we face new challenges and problems to overcome but, right at this moment, keeping the animals fed and warm is our number one priority and with your help and support we know we will get there!
WHAT ARE WE RAISING FUNDS FOR?
Winter months are always the hardest times for most animal sanctuaries and rescue centres and we are no exception.
The grass stops growing, the paddocks and surrounding areas become muddy, and the animals need a lot of extra care and attention.
The ones that suffer the most from the cold are our elderly animals who need a lot of special care and treatment. Nice thick straw beds for extra warmth and for those suffering from arthritis, extra depth to cushion their joints.
Straw is used for bedding, whereas hay is to compensate for the loss of grass and for the sheep in paddocks.
On average, the sanctuary needs £1500 every week just to cover the costs of hay, straw and other animal feed. During winter months it can be significantly more and during freezing weather conditions the amount can even double.
With 90% of all animals at FARS being sheep who are being fed twice daily, extra feed is also needed to ensure weight is kept on, as some of these older animals are at an age where they find it harder to metabolise all the nutrients that they need.
Winter is always a more costly time for the sanctuary and it's common for our animal feed and bedding bills to double. And these are the times when every little bit of extra income can make a big difference to our animals here at Farm Animal Rescue Sanctuary.
HOW HAS THE PANDEMIC IMPACTED US?
Since the Covid crisis began in March 2020, we have had no visits, or events to tide us over, and we are facing uncertainty as to what and when we can organise in the future. The long term effects of the pandemic are really starting to hit home. And this is the reason why we are, yet again, reaching to you for help.
Having to cancel all our events was particularly devastating for us as these events are our major source of income that we rely on every year.
On top of that, and completely understandably, we have seen a drop in regular donations, as many people cut costs for fear of losing their jobs.
And just when we thought things couldn't get any worse, Carole became very poorly two days before Christmas and after being rushed to the hospital, we were informed she had tested positive for Covid. It took weeks for her to mend but thankfully she has pulled through and is now back at home at the sanctuary, slowly building her strength back up.
Since then, one of our 3 essential workers has sadly also tested positive and had to self isolate. We are keeping in close touch and though she is feeling better, it might take a while until she is fully recovered. Trying to protect our small team, we sadly had to decline help from other volunteers for our, and their own safety and currently we are running on 2 remaining volunteers, Ellie and her partner, looking after all 450 animals, 7 days a week.
We do not, nor have we ever, qualified for any government funding and, as our small animal care team are essential key workers, who are also all volunteers, we haven't been able to furlough anyone.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Every single donation, no matter the size, will be a huge help to us! Keeping our rescued animals safe, warm, well fed and healthy is our number one priority and any help you can give will make a big difference to them.
Here is a rough breakdown of the sanctuary's weekly expenses:
- x20 bales of hay/week = £560 (x1 bale of hay = £28)
- x10 bales of straw/week = £190 (x1 bale of straw = £19)
- Weekly supply of Hi-Fi = £55
- Weekly supply of Allstock Mix & Allstock Nuts animal feed = £550
- Weekly supply of sugar beet = £150
- £1505 total weekly feed costs (this excludes other expenses such as bills for electricity, water, rent, vet bills etc which make up additional £1000 on top)
- the amount we receive in government funding = £0
Please note that the above is an average calculation and the use of feed, hay and straw can double in the winter months.
YOUR VOICE:
Living in the surrounding area of Stratford-upon-Avon, we still come across people on a daily basis who have never heard of our sanctuary. We are a small organisation and word of mouth goes a long way.
Our wish is to spread the word about us to create public awareness about our animals and the work that we do.
WE ARE THINKING OF YOU AND WE THANK YOU!
Despite all the difficulties we are having to face here at FARS, we understand we aren't the only ones struggling. Our love and care goes out to you all and we know and realise we are all in this together.
We wish to say a huge thank you to you all who haven't forgotten about us and who have supported us through thick and thin, as well as those who are yet to be there for us in the future.
THANK YOU!
Carole, her team and all the animals x x x
#alllivesareprecious
