The Hugs Foundation is a horse rescue centre that provides well-being support to children, young people, the elderly, serving military personnel and veterans.
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The Hugs Foundation is a rescue and rehabilitation centre for horses and ponies that also provides well-being support for children, young people the elderly, military personnel and veterans. We rescue, rehabilitate and rehome mistreated, sick, unwanted and abandoned horses and ponies. Situated in a unique, nurturing and safe environment, we provide for a range of needs including; social, emotional
, physical and mental health support, learning/developmental needs, special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), social isolation, reengaging with education, school transitions, transitions from military to civilian life, life challenges, self-harm and those at risk of su***de. We teach life skills, coping strategies and resilience for lifelong impact through therapeutic learning, animal assisted interventions and ecotherapy. Our rescues each have their own rehabilitation plan and many work alongside our service users, where they can both benefit and grow from spending time with each other, making a positive difference to both lives. We also do well-being visits to care homes, hospices and schools and community events with our ponies to improve well-being and educate in animal welfare and human well-being. We are proud to be one of the first organisations to be accepted onto the Human Equine Interaction Register (HEIR) UK and a member of the National Equine Welfare Council (NEWC). We are open by appointment only due to the nature of our work.
Another fantastic month with our ever growing volunteer team 🥰
💚 Thank you to each and every one of you!! Our volunteers have gifted our little charity a staggering 176 hours!! 💚
Also, as a side note, thank you to the 16x people who have applied to support us with our monthly newsletters. We will get back to you as soon as possible!!
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🌟 Rehoming success 🌟
Alf, Alfredo one of our 2021 foals has been rehomed.
Alf is an amazing little chap, really human oriented and super cheeky.
He is a super star at everything and we really hope he has the best time in his new home 🏡 🩷
If you want to rehome a superstar from Hugs please contact us via [email protected]
🐎 Sponsor a Stable & Make More Happy Memories 💚
Sponsor here 👉 https://bit.ly/sponsorahugsstable 🥰
Make a lasting impact by sponsoring one of our stables with a minimum monthly contribution of just £5. Your support will help our rescued animals regain their health in a nurturing environment and enhance the lives of the people we serve through therapeutic interventions in the stables. Your sponsorship will play a crucial role in our mission to create brighter futures. As a sponsor, you'll receive....
🐴 A sponsorship certificate
🐴 A photo of our amazing resident celebrity rescue pony, Dude
🐴 A fabulous Hugs Heroes rosette
🐴 A Hugs pen
🐴 A Hugs car window sticker
🐴 A monthly newsletter & quarterly stable one
Additionally, you'll receive our monthly newsletter and a quarterly stable update. Join us weekly for live updates on Facebook, allowing you to be an active part of our charity and witness the impact of your support.
Our supporters are the driving force behind the lives we save, and as a Hugs Hero, you are making a real difference. We are truly grateful for your kindness and belief in our cause. Thank you for being part of our journey! 🤗
We all love a donkey cuddle! Mabel is very sweet and especially loves a cuddle. Hollie and Hannah are having some cuddles with Luna and Mabel in our new turnout area. Make sure you come along to our next open day on the 3rd of August, where you will be able to meet Luna, Mabel, Poncho, and Oscar, our four fun-loving, gentle donkeys here at Hugs.
🦸♀️ Challenging yourself to do something extraordinary is always daunting and scary, but when you know your doing it for a charity your passionate in…. It just makes the challenge so much more rewarding and special.
Read Muriel’s story here and why she is raising money for Hugs. You can also donate via the just giving page! 🩷🌟🩷
Have you considered raising money for us by sponsorship? 🤩
Help Muriel Merrett-Jones raise money to support The Hugs Foundation UK
Do you have a flair for creative and engaging writing?
Do you have strong communication skills and abilities to connect to people?
Are you a whiz at editing, improving and conveying information?
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We are looking for a volunteer to help us with writing our monthly newsletter that goes out to all of our supporters. The newsletter contains information from all areas of the charity. updates on horses in our care and news of upcoming events.
If you could spare a few hours a month to help design and write our newsletter, that would be an amazing help to our team.
Please contact Charlotte via [email protected] to find out more.
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Our beautiful donkeys Poncho, Luna & Mabel are settling in nicely here at Hugs and have been enjoying the sunshine this week. What are you up to this Saturday?
Together, we can make a significant impact on the lives of people and animals in our local community. Our services are not just important, they are crucial. With your support, we can continue to provide vital services and help both animals and people. Our unique intervention creates a circular relationship between the environment, animals, and the people we support, significantly improving the well-being of our local community. By partnering with Hugs, your business can fulfill its corporate social responsibility and benefit from the exposure and goodwill generated through our partnership.
As a Hugs supporter, your business will be given a supporter package, providing access to a range of Business Hugs Heroes packages designed to suit every business. These packages include team-building and volunteer days to meet the fantastic rescue animals at Hugs rescue centre. Your business will also enjoy the serene atmosphere at the farm and the well-being benefits of interacting with the animals. These benefits extend beyond your business to your employees, supporting your PR, and showing your clients that you are a caring, kind, and socially responsible organisation.
Find out more here https://hugsfoundation.org.uk/business-hugs-heroes/ or contact Hollie at [email protected] or 079484 404988.
💚Sensory success💚
Thanks to our absolutely amazing volunteers another element has been added to our sensory garden 🪴
Here’s some photos of the garden in bloom 🌸
Thank you Clara Shade Sails !!
You have made our piggies very happy, protecting them from the sun, that has finally decided to make an appearance! ☀️
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🐴🌻Monday Memories - Let Yours Live on Through Hugs🌻🐴
What do you want to be remembered for? It's time to create an unforgettable legacy! We've teamed up with Free Wills to help you write your Will for free. Find out more here 👉 https://www.freewills.co.uk/charity/hugsfoundation or contact Laura on [email protected] or call 07948404988. Every single gift left in a Will is vital to Hugs and whatever the value of your gift, it will go a long way to help an animal or child who needs us. It will not cost you a penny during your lifetime, is simple to do and is free from inheritance tax. Your gift, your legacy, your difference will change horses and children's lives for a life a time. Thank you for your kindness 💚
"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, it's not going to get better. It's just not." - Dr. Seus
A summary of our volunteers, caring for and improving the lives of all the horses and ponies who desperately need them. Thank you!
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Huge thank you to the incredible students at Beacon ACE Academy for raising such an amazing amount! This is such a lovely thing for schools to do, it teaches kindness, life skills and empathy, exactly what the world needs more of! 🥰
Our children at Beacon have raised an amazing £425.52 from different fundraising activities, including cake sales. The children at Beacon voted for a local charity that they wanted to donate any money raised to. They have chosen The Hugs Foundation which are a charity that provide a rescue and rehabilitation centre for horses, ponies, donkeys and other animals that have been abandoned, mistreated or unwanted within the UK.
Our head girl and head boy visited The Hugs Foundation today to donate the money raised by all of the children at Beacon and presented them with a cheque. They were greeted by many ponies and even received smiles and kisses from the beautiful animals!
We hope that our donation can help lots of horses, ponies, donkeys and other animals in the future and give them all the care and love that they need!
Well done Beacon!⭐
Dude is one of our first moorland foals who was rescued from a bleak fate in 2017. This remarkable little pony, transformed through careful rehabilitation and an outpouring of love from the Hugs team, is now repaying the kindness and care he received by brightening people's days. But did you know he also visits schools and universities?
Recently he visited Newquay University Centre Cornwall College with Laura as a guest lecturer for the Animal Behaviour and Welfare FdSc students. Dude thoroughly enjoyed meeting everyone and joining all the classes! This is the second year we have been invited. It is a great way to help raise awareness of the charity and for the students to see different career paths, as Laura studied her Animal Behaviour and Psychology FdSc there.
Dude also enjoys visiting primary schools and interacting with children of all ages. During these sessions, children can learn about animal welfare and how we care for Dude and his friends at Hugs, enhancing their learning experience. Whether it's a storytelling session for younger children or a Q&A session for older students, Dude's visits are always tailored to the age group, ensuring maximum educational value.
If you select Hugs as your Charity of the Year, we will visit your school to express our gratitude for all your fundraising efforts and ongoing support. We can supply you with all the necessary resources for your fundraising. With our support and guidance, we can help ensure that your fundraising event is a resounding success, presenting a unique opportunity for your students to learn about charity work and animal welfare. Moreover, Dude's visits are not just fun, but also highly educational, offering a unique learning experience for your students.
During our visits, children have the unique opportunity to touch and smell the various feeds and bedding we use for all the animals here at Hugs. This hands-on experience not only enhances their understanding of animal care but also fosters a sense of empathy and responsibility towards animals. They can then ask our animal care experts questions about Dude's diet and daily routine and how they can help animals like him. This interactive learning experience allows them to engage directly, which can be genuinely inspiring and aligns with the school's mission of providing quality education.
Dude always has a super time and enjoys meeting all the children and making a difference to their day! If your local primary or secondary school is interested in Hugs becoming their Charity of the Year, please do get in touch. We have a simple process for arranging fundraising and school visits. Simply contact our team at [email protected] and we will guide you through the steps, from setting a date for the visit to providing you with the necessary materials for your fundraising efforts. We believe that every child should have the opportunity to learn about animal welfare and experience the joy of interacting with animals like Dude and his friends.
Please nominate The Hugs Foundation, it takes seconds and could make a huge difference to our charity to receive funding. Registered charity number 1175633. Thank you for your support 🥰
💚Well-being Wednesday💚
Take a look at the HUGE array of needs catered for by Hazel and Julie from June 23 - May 24!
Our team is dedicated to helping as many children as possible through our awesome facilities, caring animals and experienced staff.
Please keep your eyes peeled for our latest impact report coming soon 💕
If you would like to know more about our well-being sessions please email [email protected]
Hugs Summer Open Day is Saturday the 3rd of August so pop the date in your diary! Opening at 10am and closing at 2pm. Come and meet the rescue animals and team for a fun filled day!
💚 Free entry - although donations are always welcome 🥰
🐎 Meet the animals
👉🏼 Free children’s activities
🛍 Hugs merchandise
🛒 Shopping stalls
🎁 Fabulous raffle
🌻 Children's Treasure Hunt Trail
☕ Hot drinks and cakes
🐴 Tack sale
Due to the rescue animals, we don’t allow dogs on-site unless they are service dogs. Thank you for your understanding.
Address: Higher Whitley Farm, Helland Road, Bodmin, Cornwall PL31 2NT
Pin: https://maps.app.goo.gl/4aKYcKAAqq5s2p8N7
What Three Words: royal.ocean.bumps
Sat nav’s can be a bit temperamental getting you here so as you turn onto Helland Road (at the cemetery), keep going along that road until you get to the top of the hill and you will see the Hugs sign on the left. You can’t miss it, it’s a fairly big sign at the end of the drive. Please come through the first gate and park in the designated area. We look forward to meeting you all!
We have been celebrating Volunteer's Week this week 🌟.
Some of our amazing volunteer's have been out at , fundraising for and raising awareness of The Hugs Foundation.
Thank you to everyone who stopped to chat with us and kindly donated towards our cause.
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This week, charities all around the country are celebrating 40 years of Volunteers Week!
🌟 Volunteers Week celebrates the amazing contributions that volunteers make to communities across the UK. 🌟
We have been speaking to some of our volunteer's to find out why they decided to volunteer with us at The Hugs Foundation and what their favourite part about volunteering is.
Here, Caroline, our Home Visit & Events Support volunteer; tells us why she would recommend volunteering at The Hugs Foundation:
"I decided to volunteer at Hugs because I found myself with some spare time in life, and wanted to give back to the charity that has enabled me to adopt my lovely horses. As Hug's supports both animal welfare and youth mental well-being, it is a charity that is close to my heart. My favourite thing about helping at Hugs is, of course… spending time with the ponies! But the people are also great, I have felt welcomed and enjoyed my time with the team. I have found my time at Hugs very rewarding and fully recommend volunteering there to anyone with a bit of spare time, looking to do something both fun and worthwhile."
🌟 AMAZING DEAL ALERT 🌟
Get your hands on a fantastic offer! We are offering a fully functional KYOCERA printer with a complete set of toners (Worth £300) and some spares. Yes, you read that right - all we're asking for is a small donation. Although the printer has a slight yellow line when printing, a new header could quickly fix this issue, and a good clean would make it as good as new.
Whether you are interested in the printer or just the toners, please help us find a new home for this printer and toners by reaching out if you have any questions. Contact us at [email protected].
Foal Fursday! 🐎 Meg and her handsome chap are doing really well. Here they are enjoying the sunshine and giving you all a smile. An incredibly kind supporter gave a very generous donation for Meg and to say thank you we asked her to name the foal. We are delighted to say he has officially been named Eddie! 🥰
It costs approximately £3,000 per horse to go from rescue to rehome and that's if they have no additional medical needs. Eddie will need to be castrated, once he is old enough, and have a passport and microchip, which will bring his costs to approximately £3,500. This will include; castration, passport, microchip, course of vaccinations, worm counts and wormer, dentist checks, farrier, feed and bedding. This doesn't even include the hours of staff time for his and Meg's specialist care and training. We understand times are incredibly hard financially but if you are able to support us and this lovely pair, please donate by clicking here https://bit.ly/donatetohugs. Even just a few pounds every month (a cup of coffee!) makes a huge difference and ensures we are able to create these brighter futures. Thank you for your kindness 🤗💚
This time last week we were having a blast creating some muddy magic ✨
Much fun was had whilst creating wands and hobby animals.
We also explored the sensory garden, and used the herbs to create our own magic potions. Pickle the pony enjoyed the potion the most! 💕
Our new foal also thought the wands were amazing too 🥰
Keep your eyes peeled 👀 for summer holiday activities!
As it is officially Volunteer's Week, we are recognising, celebrating and thanking all the amazing volunteer's that support our charity on a daily basis.
Volunteer's Week was established in 1984 and although The Hug's Foundation was only established in 2017, we are amazed, grateful and extremely thankful to everyone who has supported us so far along this journey and to those who will continue to support us; to care for our animals and to help us to grow on this epic journey of animal welfare and mental well-being!
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!! 🌟💚🐴
It's Monday morning and the office manager is still lounging around! We hope you all have a good day! Foussy is certainly not ready for the week!🐱
🌟 A huge thank you to all our superstar volunteers 🌟
Throughout May, our volunteers have spent 356 hours helping to care for the animals at The Hugs Foundation as well as supporting us with our administration, visiting residential care homes, taking photographs of our the animals and helping with events.
🌟 💚 THANK YOU 💚 🌟
🌟 Rehoming success 🌟
In this photo you get to see THREE Hugs ponies!! All have found an amazing home together.
It really is so fulfilling to watch these rescues come into our care and then find their match in wonderful homes likes these.
If you are ever thinking about getting a new horse or pony…. Please please consider a rescue first.
We have lots from youngsters, companions and potentially ridden. ❤️
Higher Whitley Farm
Bodmin
PL312NT
| Monday | 8am - 4pm |
| Tuesday | 8am - 4pm |
| Wednesday | 8am - 4pm |
| Thursday | 8am - 4pm |
| Friday | 8am - 4pm |
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Come and join us for our rehoming afternoon here at Hugs HQ. We are open from 12.30 until 2 with lots of horses and ponies in looking for their forever home! Our tack sale is also open for business 😄.
Show jumps and poles ready for hire this weekend. PM to book in 🤗🐴
Penelope the amazing mini cob available for rehoming 🩷
It’s not just equines 🫏🐎 that we work with in our well-being sessions we also have: 🐷🐷🐷 🐑 🐐🐐 🐶 🐈🐈🐈🐈🐈🐈🐈🐈🐈 🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓 🪿🪿 🐇🐇🐇 🐹🐹🐹🐹🐹 (guinea pigs) Even wild animals often make an appearance 🐦⬛🐸🦉🦇🐰
Live from The Hugs Foundation! Meet some of ours rescue equines who are available for rehoming and sponsorship 🩷
When rescue life really is best! Cheeky goats and sheep stealing an opportunity to tuck into the willow enrichment for the younger horses. Nom nom nom. 😋
Morning from the Hugs HQ barn! More rain today! Come on dry weather! 💚💚💚 Today is farrier day, so some of our ponies are in for a trim!
Hugs Rescue Donkeys- Mabel and Luna. Enjoying some enrichment 🩷 #smallcharitybigimpact #donate #togetherwecan #donkeyrescue #donkeys #animalcharities #AnimalWelfare
Good morning from our sunny open day ☀️ we are open from 10am to 2pm so pop down and say hello to all of our amazing rescue animals and meet the team!
Live from a busy yard here at Hugs. We have 17 ponies in for their flu and tetanus vaccinations, plus lots in for other veterinary procedures and treatments. Come say hi! 👋
It was very windy yesterday but Piglet was very happy to be in the sunshine ☀️
Not just ponies at Hugs!!! Last weekend we found a waterlogged little buzzard in our big field. We have an active population of birds of prey, with lots of buzzards, sparrow hawks, tawny owls (who hoot in that big tree in the car park!) and we even spotted a red kite in summer! The buzzards are a usual edition to the morning and evening checks- there are about 4 who live up the top. This one was found in middle field after the day of constant rain. We knew they were not right, and as we approached (and the horses!) they didn’t fly away correctly. We quickly swooped them up and asked for professional help with birds of prey sanctuaries within Cornwall. It was recommended to warm them up and see what they were like in the morning. Well luck was on this one’s side. We were able to release them back into their home! 💚 We have seen the same one (very white on the chest) daily since. Which is really rewarding. 💚
We all wanted to say a massive thank you to the National Lottery players and everyone who voted for us to win The People's Projects last summer. We were incredibly lucky to have so much support that led to us receiving £59,844 for The People's Project award. This funding has enabled children, young people and their families to access support alongside the Hugs rescue animals to improve their mental, physical and emotional well-being. We wanted to let you know what we have achieved with this award since last summer and we are delighted to announce that we have been able to support over 80 young people so far through our unique interventions that create an incredible bond and connection between the animals and people we support. We are delighted that the The National Lottery Community Fund has recognised our work in this way and we look forward to having more positive effects on the future of our community’s young people and their families. We are making a huge difference to our local community and without the National Lottery players believing in Hugs, this may not have been possible. We feel very honoured to have received this award and are so pleased we are able to share with you what a positive impact this award has had with more yet to come 💚 #DreamsDoComeTrue #NationalLottery #CommunityFunding #JoinUsToday #EngageWithUs #community #PositiveChange #equine #mentalhealth #happymemories #wellbeing #wellnessjourney #WorkingTogetherWorks #charity #smallbutmighty #JoinUsToday #wellbeing #cornwall #stayconnected #equine #mentalwellbeing #newsletter #update #fundraising #kindness #support #thankyou #togetherwecan #networking #equine #feelgood #Cornwall
What’s your horse or ponies funny stable/field routines? No guessing to which stable we were in today 🦕! Luckily those brushes (and Haynet) makes for good scratchy spots! 😂😂🤩
Our amazing Youth Service pony Barry wanted to have a photo shoot but Pickle decided to steal the show. How do you think he did?
Did you get any pictures of your pets in the sunshine last week? We’d love to see them!
Tack sale today! 10.30-12pm.
Why not celebrate your birthday by setting up a Facebook Birthday Fundraiser to raise some money for Hugs? 🎂 It's quick and easy to set up and gives you the 'feel good' factor supporting Hugs work in animal welfare and human well-being. Check out our video, which shows you how to set this up. Friends and family can donate to your cause via FB, and the money raised will go straight to the charity! It doesn't cost you anything and will make a massive impact to those in need on your birthday. If you need help setting up your birthday fundraising page, please get in touch with us so we can guide you through the steps wth Hollie at [email protected] or 07948 404988. Thank you so much for supporting Hugs💚🥰 #Funding #Fundraising #Donations #Animalwelfare #Animalrescue #Horserescue #Wellbeing #Charity #Togetherwecan #Mentalhealth #Fortherightreasons #Smallbutmighty #Nevermoreneeded #Changinglives #birthdaylove❤ #birthdaygift #makingadfference #giveback #community #nonprofit #spreadkindness #givingback #donate #feelgood #positivechange #equine #ILoveSmallCharities #cornwall
