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Urgent Appeal12th February 2009 Dear Friend, This is dire – I think this has to be one of the worst winters we have experienced here. It started early with very icy cold weather in October and then turned to torrential rain. The rain carried on and forgot to stop. The River has burst its banks many times - it gets worse each time. Last week on the Monday it was flooded and we could hear screams for help on the yard from someone in the Ford. A young mum had driven into the Ford not realising how deep it was and the child in its baby seat was almost completely submerged. Thank fully both were rescued. Later on that day even the hump back bridge flooded and the fire brigade were dragging people from submerged cars. We were trapped between the ford and the bridge. On Friday the whole road was under water – deeper than ever before – we had to leave our cars and walk through to the animals. Each day the wet road into us is thick ice and we take our lives in our hands getting up and down the hill – the Council refuse to grit the road as we are not a priority!!! This week the snow came with a vengeance – we had various sick animals and needed to know that we could all get through. Our staff, volunteers and ourselves managed to get through – some of us having to walk through. The snow then became thick ice on the roads. Trying to get here has been treacherous. We have dealt with frozen and burst pipes and a certain amount of flood damage. The animals seem to be coping amazingly well but only because we are here and able to adjust to their constant needs as they arise. But to achieve this we are having to use more food, more bedding, more hay etc – but for how much longer? It has been such a sustained cold spell – this time of year is always bad for us financially and we knew with the credit crunch it would be harder – but we needed a good winter. Not one like this where we are having to supply so much more than we would normally have to. Every day on top of the sheer physical hard work of walking to the yard, dealing with all the animals, mucking out all the stables etc the staff are then having to throw wet heavy soiled bedding over 20ft high to get it on the muck heap as we can not afford to pay to get the heap removed thus making it lower for everyone. But this costs £80 a time. The hay for the animals cost £528 a week. The ponies with arthritis etc are coping with the cold and damp but only because we are able to help with extra pain relief, extra supplements, extra bedding etc. Woodchip the main bedding that we use in the laminitic barn have risen from £5 a bale to £8 a bale just this winter alone. Ponies like Fanta, Daisy, Poppett and little Marigold donkey etc need this sort of bedding to help the cushioning of their laminitic hooves. To take the cushioning away would mean having to put these creatures to sleep as we would not be able to manage the laminitis. Little DAISY has needed a heat lamp to help her cope with her arthritis but of course each of these measures means extra expense. Also some of the older ponies need to have matting put down under their beds to give them extra warmth and something to grip on as they try to get up in the mornings – particularly ponies like Karmel & Ben. They have both needed extra help as they cope with the many problems they have. Ben, as a youngster, had a stake rammed through his thigh – he is now suffering from arthritis in that joint, Karmel suffers from fistulous withers and needs extra help. In the past, with your help, we have prided ourselves on being able to provide the care and attention to detail that these animals deserve following the years of neglect etc they had endured at the hands of humans. We are cutting costs wherever we can and going without anything that may not be necessary but some things are vital to the lives and well being of the animals at REMUS. With things as they are and still so early on in the winter things are getting quite critical. We need to supply the animals with what they need. I am only too aware that times are hard for everyone at the moment and it is a difficult time to ask anyone to dig deep but can you help for the sake of these creatures make a donation towards their upkeep? Their extra bedding? The matting for Karmel’s stable? To have a load of manure moved? Buy some straw? Cat food for the cats? Any help that you can offer in any way would be so much appreciated. Can you help out at the Sanctuary? Is there some way that your Company can help – do they have community work days? Do they have a commercial pot that they make one off donations from; do they offer a service that we could use? Do they have a fundraising committee? Are you involved with a school or a club – could your school, class, group sponsor an animal. Could you organise a fundraising event? Can you get your family involved? Can you recruit a new member? Are you involved with cubs, scouts, brownies – can you get them involved? Just anything anyone can do to help at this time to help see us through this winter would be wonderful. If you can make a donation please send it to the Sanctuary. If you are kindly able to pay towards something specific please email us at– remusoffice@aol.com. Please can you help us in whatever way that you feel you can? Kind Regards Sue URGENT FLOOD DAMAGE APPEAL For the third week running staff and volunteers at Remus Horse Sanctuary have again had to battle with the floods and snow to get to the animals. Over the last three weeks the River Wid has burst its banks four times leaving the road into the Sanctuary severely flooded. The only way for the staff and volunteers to get through has been to abandon their cars and walk through. Sanctuary Founder Sue Burton said:- It has been so tough. I am so proud of my staff and volunteers who have braved so many freak weather conditions over the last week to make sure they got through to the animals. It has been a team effort with everyone keeping each other informed as to floods and traffic conditions to ensure that every day the animals were cared for. They are a great bunch of people and extremely dedicated! Today some of us spent over two hours trying to get in as the roads were closed or flooded and then we had to walk across fields to get to the Sanctuary. Thank fully because we are on high ground the actual Sanctuary premises are not affected by the floods. But the River Wid runs alongside the Sanctuary fields and for the third time in as many weeks the fields are totally underwater. As the flood waters recede the force of it drags down our perimeter fencing – which means extra costs for the Sanctuary at a time when we are already being hit by the credit crunch, as the animals need to be confined costing more in fodder and in bedding.
FOR PHOTOS SEE BELOW >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The bottom of our track!!!
PIGGY IS NOT IMPRESSED!!!
WE HAD FIELDS & FENCING YESTERDAY
THE SNOW COVERED YARD!
HEY!!! WHAT’S ALL THIS STUFF????
THE ROAD INTO US!!!
The crushed perimeter fencing Donations however small are desperately needed, nothing is wasted and your money goes directly to the animals in care, feeding, housing, veterinary care, we deny them nothing that it is our power to give them, please show them that you care as much as we do and donate to Remus Memorial Horse Sanctuary REMUS MEMORIAL HOURSE SANCTUARY Little Farm,
Buttsbury Road, Near Ingatestone |
