The Retreat Animal Rescue Farm Sanctuary and Cafe

19/01/2025

If anyone has any tonne sacs they no longer require we would be glad to take them off your hands!
We use them to distribute hay and straw to the animals but with so many animals, our tonne sacs experience a lot of wear and tear and ones with big holes in their bottoms are surprisingly not very useful anymore 😅
So if you've had some gravel or something delivered recently and are wondering what to do with the tonne sacs, please bring them to us any day during daylight hours! 🙏

16/01/2025

We're in desperate need of big wheelbarrows!
If you can source any such as the one linked and are happy to donate them, we'd be incredibly grateful.

They must be at least 100 litre capacity as we have a LOT of mucking out, and smaller ones aren't ideal for that (plus we have several good small barrows).

Eric 🐱 and Joey and Eeyore 🫏 modelling the type we need. Tinsel 🐐 showing the small ones we don't need as we have plenty 😊

https://amzn.eu/d/eiZAGlo

15/01/2025

We're seeking volunteers to help with our bird team! This is a rare opportunity as we don't often have availability for volunteers with the birds!

You can choose whether you'd rather work with the "poultry" birds (chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys) or in our wild bird aviaries (primarily pigeons and corvids), or if you'd like to work with all of them.

We can accept help every day of the week, preferably in the mornings, and can accommodate volunteers who can only offer a couple of hours each time, whereas on our larger animal team we ask for a minimum of 4 hours. So this may be ideal for busier people who still want to help.

Duties will include feeding, cleaning and refilling waters, and ensuring the birds have clean bed and dining areas. Many of the duties are suitable for volunteers who prefer less physically intense jobs.

Minimum age 16, and no maximum age!

If you're interested in working with these beautiful and fascinating animals, please send us a message with which day(s) you would like to help and if you have a preference over poultry or wild!

15/01/2025

14/01/2025

While humans with food all over their face and eating noisily is infuriating, it's the cutest thing in the world when it's animals like our gorgeous Captain doing it!

Captain is an older boy who gets special mushy food as it's easier for him to eat, and we love spoiling this sweet soul, especially as he's always so grateful for it!

10/01/2025

Billy our founder talks veganuary 🥕💋🍑🙏🏻🌱

10/01/2025

Hello from a cheeky Ruby 😝

If anyone is able to get anything from our wishlist we're particularly in need of:
🐮 Salt licks (used to help maintain the right balance of minerals that the large animals need)
🐐 Jam of any flavour (used for medicine sandwiches to disguise their taste!)
🐑 Turmeric supplement (added to the feeds of older animals to support their joint health)

But we're always glad of anything you can get 🙏

https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/39US51EL9J7V5?ref_=wl_share

08/01/2025

Friendships are made and never forgotten at The Retreat.
A safe haven for so many who fell through the net of horrors.
A happy place for animals who have seen the worst and are now on their healing journey.
Our centre is your centre ❤️🥰💋🙏🏻🐽🐷🐖

07/01/2025

Boppet our smallest equine says good morning everyone. It’s particularly 🧊 icy around here right now, so you all drive, walk and ride safely to wherever you may be going this morning.
Now back to breakfast 🧇

05/01/2025

Great advice
🦢 🙏🏻

The arrival of the cooler temperatures has seen some concern from across the region and beyond, with reports of swans that appear to be “stuck” or “trapped” in ice.

Whilst this may not be something members of the public are used to commonly observing with swans given our warmer winters of recent years, it is easy to mistake unfamiliar behaviour for a creature in distress. In short, it is highly unlikely any healthy swan would be stuck or trapped within the ice.

With more than 25,000 feathers, which collectively form a insulated shell meaning that - unless there is a trauma/injury and feathers are missing - the skin of the bird doesn't actually come into contact with the ice or water at all. Waterfowl also have a very specialised network of blood vessels within their feet and legs, which ensures they remain warm when temperatures decrease.

Swans can be found and survive in some of the coolest climates around the world, including the frozen Caspian Sea and the Siberian arctic tundra. They adapt accordingly to their changing environment whatever the time of year, and have done for hundreds of years. Birds can often be observed in such weather conditions sitting on top of ice, or in small pockets of water where the ice is broken up, moving around very little in order to preserve energy.

Attempting to “rescue” these birds would likely prove counterproductive and may well cause the birds an injury in the process, as they would naturally panic and attempt to outmanoeuvre any rescue attempt on the slippy surface of the hard ice, potentially damaging wings and legs. It’s also incredibly dangerous for volunteer rescuers to venture out into ice and freezing waters. Experience has shown that the swans are best left to hold a small space of water open on their waterway.

The temperatures are expected to improve in the coming days, so the ice will naturally thaw and the birds will be able to move freely on their waterways once again. In the meantime, we would encourage you to continue providing food to your local bird populations where safe to do so, and feeding in areas where there is no threat from predators or uncontrolled dogs. We can also still be contacted to assist genuinely injured swans during this time.

Thank you 🦢

04/01/2025

We have had the most amazing donation from Jollyes - The Pet People, just look at all those tins! Clive cockerel and his wife Gina were on call to inspect and approve this latest wonderful donation. Thank you guys 🐓🐾💚

04/01/2025

We said a fond farewell to Rose today as she retired from The Retreat. Many of you will be familiar with her as our cattery manager and from admitting wildlife you may have brought in.

Rose first came to The Retreat as a visitor over 7 years ago and went on a tour where she fell in love with many of the animals, and vowed to go vegan there and then. She then started volunteering in the cattery, and soon was offered a staff position, fully cementing herself as the crazy cat lady of The Retreat.

Over the years she has become a dear friend to many of the team, become a general manager, and pretty much started up her own cattery at home with the many cats she just couldn't bear to leave at work! Her dedication to the animals is unfailing, with her often bringing sick or injured birds in on her days off or taking animals home to care for overnight.

Rose will be very much missed by humans, felines, and wildlife alike, but we know she won't be able to stay away completely! We all wish her the very best and thank her for everything she's done during her time with us 💚

04/01/2025

Todays donkey school fun. How lucky are our donkey crew ❤️💋🙏🏻

04/01/2025

Sydney calling for his breakfast.
Telling our team to get a move on with his bucket load of goodies
🍎🍐🍅🥬🥦🌽

03/01/2025

Please help the horses by signing and sharing
Thanks 🙏🏻

Petition to Protect Four Neglected Horses from Persistent, Severe Neglect near Sudbury

02/01/2025

Happy new year to all our wonderful supporters!
Why not start 2025 with a resolution to volunteer and help care for our amazing animals?

We need volunteers every day of the week on our horse and farm teams, and with maintenance and "gentler" duties.

🐴🫏Today we're going to focus on our horse team - you don't need any prior experience with equines as all training will be given. We have almost 30 horses and 10 donkeys, all with distinct personalities. Duties will mainly include mucking out (they 💩 a LOT!), dishing out hay and straw, filling waters, and you may be asked to help with grooming, hoof picking, and minor medical treatments if needed.

While you don't need to be super fit at all, you will need to be able to walk on uneven and muddy ground, and push a wheelbarrow full of muck. But we can accommodate various abilities and you will be able to work at your own pace.

Usually we ask that volunteers are aged 18 or over, but from 2025 we're reducing that age with certain conditions:
16 and 17 year olds will be permitted to volunteer with the animals as long as they are with an adult member of the team (this could be a parent or guardian) when in with animals.
14 and 15 year olds will be allowed to volunteer, but not go in with the animals unless accompanied by a member of staff, and this is not a given - it will only be if the staff member is confident they can be safe and sensible around the animals, as our equines are all rescues and some have behavioural challenges.

If you're interested, please send us a message with which day(s) you're interested in. We look forward to hearing from you!

01/01/2025

Could anyone recommend someone we can buy some rubber chippings from please ? One of our areas needs a top up !
Must be able to deliver