Warwickshire animal sanctuary to hold fundraising open weekend to help it cope with rising bills

A shelter for rescued farm animals in Warwickshire is opening its barn doors to raise funds due to its bills nearly doubling.

Farm Animal Rescue Sanctuary (FARS) in Wolverton is home to around 450 farm animals from pigs to sheep.

But founder Carole Webb was devastated to learn electricity bills at the site were set to double.

The £540 weekly food supply bill is also set to rise by an extra £80 a week and bales of hay – which they use 20 of a week – will cost an extra £100 weekly.

Carole said: “We are faced with constant huge bills, having just paid £1,600 to clear out one of the barns and next month all the sheep will need shearing.

“To find out we are going to be hit by such a huge price hike on our weekly expenses is a massive blow.

“Our electricity cannot be cut down anymore – as much as we minimise our personal use, our animals are with us for life and we have many old and vulnerable sheep and pigs who need extra heat at night to keep warm. We have heat lamps in the pens of the most vulnerable but of course that comes at a price.”

To raise money the charity is holding an open weekend from 11am to 4pm on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 April where visitors can meet the animals, shop stalls and vegan refreshments.Tickets cost £5 each (under 12’s go free) and can be booked online or on the door. Dogs are not allowed due to some of the sheep being attacked before being rescued.

FARS is also accepting donations of eating apples and bananas for the pigs and rich tea biscuits for the sheep.

Charity Lucas Helps Dogs – which funds the treatment and care of street dogs in Sri Lanka – will also have a stall and is asking for donations of unused or recently out of date pet medication and harnesses.

Visit www.farmanimalrescuesanctuary.co.uk/product/easter-open-day-tickets to book tickets or visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/one-donation-twice-the-impact to donate - with donations being match funded by an anonymous donor.