Happy Sussex Day! Today we celebrate the heritage, stunning landscapes and vibrant culture of Sussex. At Raystede we are pleased to be part of this wonderful county and have been based in Ringmer, near Lewes since the late Miss M. Raymonde-Hawkins founded Raystede from her cottage in 1952.
For over 70 years, we have worked to alleviate animal cruelty, rescue, rehabilitate, rehome and provide sanctuary for animals in need. Today we are one of the most diverse rescue centres in the UK. We care for so many different species of animals and our staff, volunteers, and supporters help many animals in need. We also pledge to make the future better for animals through our education programmes and activities.
How are you celebrating Sussex Day? We would love you to share your photos and stories in the comments below or tag us!
#SussexDay
Loki is a super handsome 3-year-old Cocker Spaniel who is one of our wonderful STAR (Special Training and Requirements) dogs currently searching for his forever home.
After arriving in a vulnerable state medically in October last year, he has gone from strength to strength. Loki previously suffered with flare ups of pancreatitis, but since being in our care he has stabilised and does not require any medication or treatment.
Loki is social with dogs but would prefer to be the only dog in the home. He can live with older children and cats but is not suited to live with small animals.
Watch this video to find out more about lovely Loki. Or, visit our website to read his profile: www.raystede.org/adopt/dogs/?animal=23534
Tickets are still available for our Wine Tasting fundraiser on Friday 21 June at Fitzherbert Community Hub in Kemptown, Brighton.
The event is hosted by Raystede Ambassador, Cassie Butler-Gould, who is co-owner of the wonderful Butlers Wine Cellar located in Brighton.
The event runs from 7pm - 9pm, in which Cassie and husband Henry will introduce us to a selection of 6 wines all with an animal theme. Tickets are £25 and may be purchased via Butler's website: www.butlers-winecellar.co.uk/products/charity-wine-tasting-for-raystede-centre-for-animal-welfare-thursday-21st-march-2024
We hope that you can join us at this fun and informal wine tasting and we’re very grateful to both Cassie and Henry for hosting it.
As Volunteers Week draws to a close, we’d like to say a huge and heartfelt thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers!
Without the generosity and dedication from our volunteers, Raystede couldn’t help as many animals as we do. Each and every volunteer is invaluable to us and gives us more than we can ever repay.
If you have some time to spare and would like to volunteer at Raystede, we’d love to hear from you – we have many volunteering roles available at www.raystede.org/volunteer
#VolunteersWeek Volunteers' Week
We are very proud of all of our volunteers here at Raystede who dedicate their time to help animals in need. To celebrate Volunteers’ Week, we would like to introduce you to some of our Welcome Team volunteers. Sam, Marguerite, Sarah and Kai have a vital role to play by welcoming our visitors and delivering the first part of a memorable and enjoyable day that enhances the visitors’ experience.
Watch this video to hear more about them and why they chose to volunteer. If you are inspired by Sam, Marguerite, Sarah and Kai, please visit our website to view our current volunteering roles: www.raystede.org/volunteer
#VolunteersWeek Volunteers' Week
We have some rather sad news to share with everyone today. Sadly, one of our beautiful tortoises, Churchill, has passed over the Rainbow Bridge. Churchill was born in 1917 and survived the bombing during WW2. She lost her family and had been passed down through generations of families and friends, until she ended up at Raystede because she was sadly no longer wanted.
Churchill enjoyed nearly 6 years here with us at Raystede and was a couple of months shy of 107 years old. She was a sweet natured and cheeky girl with lots of personality. She spent a lot of her time with her best friend Megan and was often known to clamber inside our tortoise kitchen to sample her VIP salad bar.
Churchill passed away peacefully and without any illness and it’s a comfort that she was able to experience some beautiful spring sunshine before she passed.
We will all miss you very much, Churchill. 💙🌈
Today is #WorldTurtleDay, a day for celebrating turtles and tortoises! Here at Raystede we have a colony of tortoises, including Sheldon our Horsfield tortoise.
Sheldon came to Raystede in 2009 when he was 4 years old. He loves people and often follows our staff around his enclosure. He has a very cheeky character!
Will you make Sheldon’s day by sponsoring him on World Turtle Day? Find out more here: www.raystede.org/sponsor/sheldon/
Batman and Robin’s abseil challenge is coming up next week and we’re really excited to see Raystede Chief Executive, Stephanie Smith, and Raystede Honorary Ambassador, Jason Burrill step off the Brighton i360 in superhero style!
We are pleased to confirm the abseil will take place on Monday 20 May. Our dynamic duo, Jason and Stephanie are hoping to raise at least £6,155 for Raystede. This amount will pay for five of Raystede’s dog kennels for one month, while helping five rescued dogs to find the perfect new home, and they are only £385 away from hitting the target!
Could you kindly support Batman and Robin’s extraordinary challenge? We would be so grateful to anyone who would like to donate: www.justgiving.com/page/jason-burrill-and-stephanie-smith-i360
Ronnie and Reggie, two loveable 1-year-old Golden Guernsey goats, are looking for their forever home! These wonderful boys came to Raystede when they were only 6 weeks old and are now searching for a new family.
These playful chaps love a fuss from their humans but are happiest when snoozing with each other in the sunshine. They are very polite and enjoy going for walks and climbing on platforms around their enclosure.
Ronnie and Reggie have been together since the day they were born so they must be adopted together but they would be happy to live with calm goats.
Watch this video to find out more about the type of home these boys require or visit our website: www.raystede.org/adopt/goats-sheep/?animal=22713
We are sad to share the news that our lovely Purdie has galloped over the Rainbow Bridge, leaving a huge hole in all our hearts. Purdie made it to almost 29 years old and spent 20 years at Raystede. Considering the struggles she faced with her clubbed foot and sickle hocks, this really was a miracle in itself.
In November last year, Purdie's lameness worsened and after X-rays and vet visits it became apparent that she was getting old and tired, and her clubbed foot was deteriorating. Unfortunately, Purdie wasn’t responding well to pain medication, and even with all the vet visits and physiotherapy treatments, she wasn't enjoying her cuddles or interactions like she used to. Purdie enjoyed a final weekend in the sunshine with her fellow pony and best friend, Cherry, and was put to sleep very peacefully with her loving carers by her side.
For a very little pony, Purdie had the biggest personality and no day at Raystede will be the same without her. We have created a tribute page for Purdie where you can view some lovely memories of her and leave your own thoughts and messages which we will share with her carers: https://purdie.muchloved.com/
Run free Purdie, we will miss you very much. 🌈💙
We believe that all the dogs in our care deserve to find their forever home, no matter what their circumstances! However, we know that some dogs tend to stay a bit longer with us than others. This may be due to their age, size, breed type or because they have medical care needs. We call these dogs our STAR (Special Training and Requirements) dogs as they each have their own set of unique characteristics that make them shine.
You may remember Elder, one of our very special STAR dogs and we are delighted to share he has found his forever home! Watch this video to hear from Elder’s adopter and how he has been getting on since being happily adopted in December 2022. 💙
Find out more about our current STAR dogs at www.raystede.org/star-dogs/
Today we celebrate the birthday of our Founder, Miss Raymonde Hawkins, MBE, who established Raystede 72 years ago. She worked tirelessly to alleviate animal suffering and to educate people how to care for their animals. Her work took her to Ireland and Venice, she opened Peaceways, the UK’s first pet crematorium, and helped many thousands of animals.
Happy Birthday Miss Raymonde-Hawkins, and thank you!
We are delighted that Raystede’s sanctuary and lakes area will be open for Easter. This includes the paths past our hen and duck enclosures and Rainbow Bridge, and the dog walk. This area has been closed for a while due to avian flu restrictions and then the construction of Project Terrapin, our terrapin sanctuary, which is nearing completion.
Our wonderful volunteers and our Estates Team have worked hard to get it all ready to welcome you back into this beautiful part of our site. Remember, it’s free to visit Raystede but it’s essential to book a ticket in advance because numbers are limited for the welfare of our rescue animals.
Book online at www.raystede.org/visit-us/book-your-visit/ - we look forward to seeing you!
Do you want to make a difference to animals in need? There’s just over a week to go to apply for our exciting Rehoming Assistant role! Watch this video to get a glimpse into what you’ll be doing and find out some of the benefits of working for a fantastic charity like Raystede.
Closing date Sunday 24 March. Apply today at www.raystede.org/careers
Calling all equine lovers! We are currently looking for volunteers to work within our Equine Team. Some of the activities could include providing our horses, ponies, donkeys and goats with fun enrichment, taking our animals for walks, grooming and general yard jobs.
There are various shifts available throughout the week and weekend. Please visit our website for more information about the role and to apply: www.raystede.org/volunteer
Got a place in the Brighton Marathon Weekend? Looking for a great cause to run for? It’s one month to go until race day and Raystede still has some charity places available: www.raystede.org/challenge-events/running/2024-brighton-marathon/
Kate ran the Brighton Marathon for Raystede last year and raised an incredible £1,186. Check out her fantastic video - #RunLikeKate and help animals in need!
This is a reminder to book your free ticket to our Peaceways Open Day on Sunday 24 March! Come along between 10am – 2pm and see what a beautiful, tranquil place it is and combine it with a visit to Raystede.
Watch this video to find out more about Peaceways or book online at www.raystede.org/PeacewaysOpenDay
We would like to introduce you to Pip and Squeak, two cheeky 1-year-old little Terriers! These brave boys arrived at Raystede sadly very underweight and weak. However, after our amazing Kennels Team supported them every step of the way, they are now feeling much better and are slowly building confidence.
The boys are fun, affectionate and sociable but would like a patient home that can continue supporting them after their tough start in life. They can live with older children but would prefer to be the only dogs in the home.
Find out more about Pip and Squeak in this video or visit our website: www.raystede.org/adopt/dogs/?animal=23622
Drop360 abseil challenge!
Batman and Robin take on the Drop360 abseil challenge! On 28 March, Raystede Chief Executive, Stephanie Smith, and Raystede Honorary Ambassador, Jason Burrill will be stepping off the Brighton i360 in superhero style!
Not only are they facing their fear of heights by descending 531 feet to the ground, Jason and Stephanie are hoping to raise at least £1,231 for the animals at Raystede. This amount will pay for one of our dog kennels for one month, while helping a dog to find the perfect new home.
You can support their extraordinary challenge here: www.justgiving.com/page/jason-burrill-and-stephanie-smith-i360
Do you want to become a superhero for animals in need? Find out more about the Drop360 Abseil challenge on our website: www.raystede.org/drop360/
Introducing Teddy, a sweet but sensitive 11-month-old Shih-Tzu X poodle who is currently searching for his forever home. This lovely lad would like a quiet, patient home to help him flourish. Once he feels confident around you, Teddy is very affectionate and cheeky!
Teddy would prefer to be the only pet in an adult only home.
Find out more about him in this video our visit our website: www.raystede.org/adopt/dogs/?animal=23663
