The Berkshire Animal Connection Centre

29/01/2025

The herd are making the most of the short break between rain storms

09/01/2025

Thank you De Vere Wokefield Estate - for your generous donation and ongoing support 💙

12/12/2024

🎁Last-minute Christmas present idea!🎄

Have you left it too late to get a present for a friend or family member, or simply don't know what to get them? Well the perfect gift could be right here - sponsorship of one of our gorgeous sanctuary residents!

With two price options that both include an invite to visit our residents and a personalised digital photograph certificate, what better way to surprise a loved one with the most thoughtful and caring of gifts! 🎄🎁

http://www.animalconnectioncentre.org/sponsor

09/12/2024

Our animals and hardy volunteers made it through Storm Darragh at the weekend, but our sanctuary has been left feeling battered and very wet after the continual rain and cold weather.

On top of the high feed and bedding bills we are usually faced with at this time of year, we now have to find more money for fencing, mud control mats and additional shelter to make the ponies, horses, goats and donkeys as comfortable as possible despite the awful weather.

As a charity run entirely by volunteers and funded by your generosity, we would be so very grateful for any donations you would be able to send our way - our miniature donkeys Hans & Boomer are hoping to tug at your heartstrings with their Christmas poses!

Donations are gratefully received via PayPal ([email protected]) or via Bank Transfer (see our website for account details: https://animalconnectioncentre.org/donations-gifts/) 🙏

04/12/2024

Could we please ask a favour of all our lovely followers - and ask you to take 1 minute to nominate us for Movement For Good's "12 Days of Giving" draw, to put us in with a chance of receiving a £1000 donation before Christmas? You can search for our name or Charity Number (1191736) on the website link below, just enter your details and hit submit! Thank you 🫶

Nominate a charity for a Movement for Good award now.

31/10/2024

Introducing our first ever charity calendar! Featuring some beautiful photos of our animals, these calendars are now available to collect from our yard (RG2 9LA - please message us before arriving), or at The Crown Pub, Swallowfield during our Quiz Night next Wednesday 6th November.

27/10/2024

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED AT OUR SWALLOWFIELD BASE

We currently have vacancies for onsite volunteers aged over 18 to help us with the general care and maintenance of our yard, field and animals. As you can imagine, the work is physical and needed every day, whatever the weather.

If you are able to give us a few hours of your time at least once a week, please message us here or via [email protected] for more details or to register your interest. No previous experience is necessary, just a willingness to learn and get stuck in!

Please note: Due to supervisory effort needed, we can only accept over 18s at the moment. There are no regular public transport links to our yard, so own transport is a must.

23/10/2024

We are thrilled to have been nominated for the 2024 Pride of Reading Awards. As a volunteer-led and funded charity, the recognition is much appreciated!
https://www.facebook.com/PORAwards

Nominated for Charity of the Year, sponsored by Roc Search, is The Berkshire Animal Connection Centre 🎉

An animal sanctuary and safe space for people to benefit from therapeutic interaction with them was set up by Fiona Graham.

Their nominator for Charity of the Year said: “Fiona set up this charity to provide sanctuary for animals to live out their lives in a safe place without abuse and trauma.”

It also provides “a safe place for children and adults with mental health or with disabilities.” Through their equine assisted services program and volunteering programme they offer volunteering opportunities for Duke of Edinburgh students, corporate volunteering days and supervised volunteering with care workers.

“Many of the animals require medication, care and love because of illness or mistreatment,” said the nominator. 🏆

Read here 👇
https://rdg.today/pride-of-reading-awards-animal-sanctuary-is-a-safe-space-for-therapeutic-interaction/

21/09/2024

Today we would like to say a huge THANK YOU to Farley Estate for coming to our rescue when the ditch behind our barn over flowed after yesterday's thunderstorm and deluge. We called the Estate Office at 2pm and within 20 minutes the Estate Manager and Head Gardener had arrived to assess our flood and the stable mats floating in 10 inches of water! They left and returned with two diggers, dug out and re- routed the ditch. This morning the evidence of their work was fantastic. The ditch running perfectly and no more flooding in the barn. Happy people and happy horses. Thanks to Jamie and Chris for bringing in the 'big guns' to help us out. ###

14/08/2024

14/08/2024

So with a very heavy heart, from all our Volunteers and our Team, we have to announce that we have lost our beloved Khan.
He was a trouper to the end. His interest in food was legendary and his sweet character is something that ALL of us will remember. A little Anglo Arab of 29 years, with many issues, but he was a sweet , kind and wonderful soul and he loved human contact and his 'scritchy scratches'. God speed Khan to the Rainbow Bridge and beyond . ❤ ❤❤❤❤❤
We will be hosting a Healing Circle in his memory next week. For more details please email [email protected].
If anyone would like to make a donation to the Charity in his honour please go to our website
www.animalconnectioncentre.org.
Thank you ###m

21/07/2024

This article in Wokingham Today highlights our latest challenge and project - acquisition and construction of new shelters at the Sanctuary due to the imminent loss of our existing large barn. If anybody has any contacts in the building trade or has access to suitable buildings we could use at our Swallowfield location - please do let us know!

AN ANIMAL centre that gives abandoned horses a forever home desperately needs support.Berkshire Animal Connection Centre (BACC) will lose tenancy

14/07/2024

Good timing for us then. All cut on Tuesday!

FYI - if you have thistles, NOW is the time to be cutting them (if you haven’t already in the last week and you are northern hemisphere).

Horses like thistles but at this stage of growth they are unlikely to be eating them much now. They are well into flowering and will be setting seed very soon.

Cutting them back now will stop you being overrun with them next year but also stop the seeds spreading to surrounding fields, particularly arable fields where farmers are fighting a war against trying to cut down on chemical use in the tide of invasive weeds.

We are cutting large sections down today which sadly means losing some of the beautiful meadow flowers surrounding them but in order for those meadow flowers to not be drowned out next year (and for our young trees to flourish) we have to make some sacrifices.

Checking for wildlife and nests etc as we go just in case as even though we are pretty much at the end of ground nesting season, you can’t be too careful 💚

As the saying goes…

“Cut thistles in May, they grow in a day,
Cut them in June, that is too soon,
Cut them in July, then they die!”

13/07/2024

HUGE SHOUT OUT! To our AMAZING Volunteers for stepping up and stepping in over the last two weeks. To our DofE students and other young volunteers for getting all the mucking out done AND all three goat houses mucked out and to our regular adult volunteers- Karen, Holly, Josh, Georgia Ian, Danielle, Peter, Ellis, Wendy 1 and Wendy 2, Ankea, Sam, Libby Matthew, Tracey, Suzanne, Stephen, Helen, Catherine and my husband Mike for all their hard work putting in new paddocks and electric fencing so we can move horses for some vital field maintenance on Monday and Tuesday this coming week. You guys totally rock and are part of our . We simply could not do it without you and tomorrow we have more volunteers coming to help out to move horses and get everyone settled before the digger and tractor start on site.

Volunteering at BACC can be hard work but we have a fantastic team in place with a 'can do' attitude. We have debates about the way to do things and what would work best, we work together to achieve our goal and we have a wonderful closeness and camaraderie and a whole lot of laughs.

So if you are a DofE student Year 9 or older, or an adult with horse/animal experience and would like to join our volunteer team then we would absolutely love to hear from you.

Please email [email protected] and arrange a visit.

Plus some cute pictures to temp you to visit!!

30/06/2024

Two of our amazing volunteers, Jason and Martyn, together with friends, have arrived in Scotland ready to attempt The Three Peaks Challenge tomorrow! They are taking on this huge challenge in aid of ourselves, CALM and Macmillan Cancer Support. If you haven't yet donated, please do encourage them on their journey tomorrow by clicking on the link below.

As a charity, we rely entirely on donations. Your kindness and generosity keep us going.

Thank you 💙



https://www.givewheel.com/fundraising/2564/the-three-peaks-challenge-for-three-charites