SAVE OUR SANCTUARY: CHARITY ON THE BRINK OF COLLAPSE

“As a team, we find ourselves in a heart-breaking situation, this is very raw for us and we are desperately trying to find a way forward” are the words of Sharon Vieira, the founder of the charity Hoofbeats Sanctuary that was formed 21 years ago.

At a time where many charities are struggling, and fundraising events have been at a standstill for 12 months or more, Hoofbeats Sanctuary, based on the outskirts of Plymouth, have been told they must find a new home as their landlord takes back their rented land.

Having been at Lower Collard Farm for nearly 10 of their 21 years, the charity has rescued and rehomed over 200 horses and ponies since they were first launched in 2000. The sanctuary offers a safe haven for horses of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds and has seen troubled residents go on to find forever loving homes thanks to the hard work and dedication of “Team Hoofbeats”- the charity’s completely volunteer-based team.

Having turned so many horses and ponies’ fortunes around from their quiet and unassuming fields on the edge of Plymouth, Hoofbeats are now hoping their fortune can be turned around by the generosity of members of the public, without which, the future for Hoofbeats and the horses that call it home is uncertain.

The charity’s “Save our Sanctuary” appeal has been launched as an emergency response to the “devastating” news that their landlord wishes to take back the land they rent for his own business venture.

In a statement, Sharon, Sanctuary founder, took to social media to explain how “In a time that all charities are struggling to keep their head above water …and with us being unable to do any fundraising events this could not have come at a worse time”.

Having made Lower Collard Farm their home over the past ten years, the volunteers at Hoofbeats have put in “an unimaginable amount of hard work, money, effort and time” to make it the safe haven the horses and ponies so deserve.

Sharon told us how: “Hoofbeats is so much more than just a horse welfare charity: our horses have helped people along the way too. I have been overwhelmed with the messages of support received in just a few days that tell stories of our work, and the horses, having such a positive effect on many of our supporters and volunteers’ mental health.

This news is such a blow for the charity, the horses, and for us all as a team personally too. As a charity, we cannot face this sort of turmoil again, which is why this urgent appeal, at what is already a difficult time, is asking for anyone who supports our mission to give generously if they can to help us purchase a permanent residence for the sanctuary.

We have set up a crowdfunding campaign to help us raise the money to do this so that the future of our work, and our horses and ponies, is never at risk again.”

To pledge your donation to the charity’s emergency appeal, please visit: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/save-our-sanctuary

To find out more about the charity’s work, please visit www.hoofbeats.org.uk