Resident donkeys at international animal welfare charity The Donkey Sanctuary will soon benefit from a newly built donkey barn, thanks in part to a £10,000 grant provided by the Elise Pilkington Charitable Trust.
The new fit-for-purpose donkey barn will permanently house 50 resident donkeys at The Donkey Sanctuary’s Woods Farm, which is located in the heart of the East Devon countryside, just a few miles from the charity’s international headquarters in Sidmouth. Woods Farm is currently home to more than 420 donkeys, and the addition of the new barn will greatly help alleviate the farm’s lack of space and suitable accommodation, and in turn help donkey health, welfare and wellbeing.
The new barn has been custom designed and will provide comfortable accommodation with more space for feeding, resting, and sleeping. Covered passageways will ensure the donkeys stay dry when feeding, while suitable flooring will ensure their foot health is maintained. The four-legged residents in the new barn will also have access to 16 acres of pasture which will be available to donkeys all year-round for the first time.
The charity’s sanctuaries strive to be the beacon of best practice for donkey care, showcasing to donkey owners in the UK and across the world what excellent care and welfare looks like.
Improving the living conditions and grazing for donkeys at Woods Farm was identified as an urgent priority, and the new facility will go a long way to help improve the lives of donkeys there. Work has started on the new barn, which is expected to be completed in the autumn, for the donkeys to then move into their new home.
Glen Gardiner, Head of Farms at The Donkey Sanctuary said: “We are very grateful to the Elise Pilkington Charitable Trust for its generous support.”
“This will improve the health, happiness and welfare of 50 donkeys at Woods today and hundreds more donkeys across the next 50 years.”