Below is an urgent appeal from local animal care charity Furlock Holmes – Now here’s a thought Whitchurch, if everyone were to spend £1 less on presents this Christmas and instead donated that to the Furlock Holmes Just Giving Appeal, imagine what a difference that would make to the charity this winter. “As the days get shorter and the weather gets colder, we yet again find ourselves frantically trying to raise funds to keep our animals healthy and warm over the winter period. This is a struggle every year as the poor weather leads to an increase in the number of animals surrendered to the rescue. So not only does it cost us more to keep our animals warm with extra bedding and heating, but this also means more mouths to feed, more vet bills and more work for our dedicated volunteers. This year, however, we face an even bigger challenge than normal. With the COVID-19 pandemic causing chaos worldwide, our fundraisers have been cancelled. Unfortunately, with lockdown 2, we can’t even offer our “Socially-distanced Private Tour Experiences”, which were providing us with much-needed funds. Despite the restrictions put upon us, we have been working hard to care for not just our rescue residents, but our sanctuary residents too. These are animals which, due to ongoing health and/or behaviour reasons, cannot be adopted out to new homes.
As you can imagine, this means we are frequent visitors at the vet. Despite them being absolutely fantastic and helping us in every way they can, this costs us a huge amount of money. As well as this, we have, on average, 12 rabbits to neuter and vaccinate each month. As our followers will know, this is something we are incredibly strict on – every rabbit will be neutered and vaccinated when old enough.
As a self-funded rescue organisation, we rely on our own fundraising efforts and donations from the public. You may see us walking dogs around Whitchurch or visiting your neighbour’s cat – in this current, particularly-difficult time, these services are helping to fund our sanctuary residents too.
We understand that everyone is struggling at the moment. No one is having an easy time and there is still so much uncertainty. But, we beg you to take a moment to think about those animals suffering too. You may not be able to donate financially, but please share our posts on Facebook, tell your friends and spread the word. Help us in our fight to save the animals and be a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves. Here are some ways in which you can help us to help the animals:
Donate to our Just Giving Campaign -http://www.justgiving.com/campaign/furlockholmeswinter2020 Donate to our fundraisers – even £1 can make a difference! Keep an eye out for our Christmas cards and other Christmas-related fundraising! Make the most of our pet services – use us for dog walking, pet sitting, boarding, grooming, nail clipping and as a pet taxi to and from the vet if you are unable to leave the house. Watch our Facebook Live feeds and follow our news on our Facebook page. Share our posts and spread the word – tell your friends about us! – Buy your pet products from us. Did you know, we sell hay, woodshavings, treats and wood-pellet litter?! Volunteer your time to help us – this can even be done from home! Sponsor one of our sanctuary residents (more information coming soon). Organise your own fundraising event. Fancy a sponsored run or even a skydive?
Thank you to everyone who has supported us so far. Whether you have visited us for a socially-distanced tour, donated to our fundraisers, used our pet services, watched our Facebook Live feeds or shared our Facebook posts, we really appreciate it! Without you, Furlock Holmes wouldn’t be here and, without you, a lot of animals would be suffering! Thank you also to our AMAZING volunteers who have worked long hours to keep everything going despite the pandemic!”
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