The Berkshire Animal Connection Centre

09/01/2024

We all know our late Queen was a great horse woman and dog lover, but did you know she was also very aware of her animals ability to comfort others?

Listen to this short video of David Nott, the esteemed British Surgeon who volunteers in war and disaster zones, recalling the time he experienced 'the power of animal interaction' thanks to Her Majesty and her corgis.

“At the end of it she turned to me and said, 'Well that's much better than talking, isn't it?'”Surgeon David Nott tells the story of what happened when he me...

07/01/2024

Opportunities for Businesses : Spend a 'Team Building' day with us and our animals

We can create a day of learning for you and your team, based in nature and the presence of animals. At BACC we understand the power that animals have to help all people to gain confidence, self esteem, faith in their judgements and connection with both animals and people.

All our sessions are supervised by our professionals who are trained, insured and Enhanced DBS checked. Safety is at the core of our work, as is learning and fun.

Interested? Then please contact [email protected] for more details.

Based in Swallowfield, Berkshire.

04/01/2024

Yesterday we were absolutely delighted to welcome two new Volunteers to the Berkshire Animal Connection Centre. Sierra (pictured with Oliver) is a Year 7 student at a local school and totally adores horses and just wants to do everything to help them. Amy is a college student studying Animal Care and Management and joined us for her first work experience session. She has to complete 150 hours of work experience by May 2024 and yesterday completed 8 hours. Just 142 hours to go!

We were all struck by the enthusiasm of both girls and an absolute desire to get stuck in and complete the jobs they had. Jobs were feeding, putting hay out, checking waters, mucking out and hugging a few horses. Sierra got to brush Smurf and Dougal, two of our resident Shetland Ponies.

At BACC we all understand the power that horses have to help children, young people and adults to gain confidence, self esteem, faith in their in judgements and connection with both animals and people. We supervise their sessions with professionals who are trained, insured and Enhanced DBS checked. Safety is at the core of our work, as is learning, but also fun.

We offer a variety of options to learn for Children, Young People and Adults. Some are Supervised Volunteering, some are paid-for sessions through Schools or Local Authority Funding.

If you are interested in more information please contact [email protected]

29/12/2023

Thank you to those who have donated towards Mia's vet bill - she is thankfully looking better today. After a night spent with Fiona keeping a watchful eye on her, she is brighter and the vet has put her on five days of anti-inflammatories and anti-biotics. She can hopefully go back in to the field with her herd tomorrow.

If you are able to donate towards her vet bills and care, please click here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/BACC

Thank you

28/12/2023

We had an emergency situation at the sanctuary today when it was noticed that one of our mares, Mia, had a nosebleed and was making strange noises. Vets were called urgently, and as Mia had also started to bleed from her mouth, the vet performed an endoscopy - and pulled out a huge bramble from her trachea! Thank goodness young volunteer Gracie spotted Mia was in trouble, it could have turned out very badly. Our founder, Fiona, is now on night watch to make sure Mia doesn’t go downhill, as the thorns have caused internal scratching, which puts her at risk of pneumonia.

This vet bill is going to be large, and will impact our accounts significantly. If you are able to donate a few pounds, it would be most appreciated, and will ensure we can give Mia all the care she needs to recover. Thank you. We’ll keep you posted on Mia’s progress.

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/BACC

28/12/2023

We had an emergency situation at the sanctuary today when it was noticed that one of our mares, Mia, had a nosebleed and was making strange noises. Vets were called urgently, and as Mia had also started to bleed from her mouth, the vet performed an endoscopy - and pulled out a huge bramble from her trachea! Thank goodness young volunteer Gracie spotted Mia was in trouble, it could have turned out very badly. Our founder, Fiona, is now on night watch to make sure Mia doesn't go downhill, as the thorns have caused internal scratching, which puts her at risk of pneumonia.

This vet bill is going to be large, and will impact our accounts significantly. If you are able to donate a few pounds, it would be most appreciated, and will ensure we can give Mia all the care she needs to recover. Thank you. We'll keep you posted on Mia's progress.

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/BACC

24/12/2023

Wishing all our followers, donators, sponsors, supporters and volunteers a wonderful and peaceful Christmas.

Our horses, ponies, donkeys and goats are grateful for your support in 2023, and look forward to a prosperous and exciting 2024. 🎄

19/12/2023

If you would like to help animals over Christmas but are short on funds, perhaps you could give a few hours of your time to help us out at the Berkshire Animal Connection Centre?

We have a number of horses, ponies, donkeys and goats who need care every day of the week. We have a small but dedicated team who will supervise you and help you with all the essential tasks. It is a physical job, with mucking out, checking and filling waters, giving hay and feeds and clearing the fields.

If you can help us by giving us your time over Christmas, and in to 2024 perhaps, we would love to welcome you to our sanctuary.

Please message here or email [email protected]

12/12/2023

Although we refer mostly to 'Equine Assisted Services' (EAS) and 'Equine Facilitated Learning' (EFL), at the Berkshire Animal Connection Centre in 2024 we will be offering these sessions not just with our equines (horses, ponies and donkeys), but with our pygmy goats as well.

Goats are perfect animals to be involved in therapeutic sessions, as they can recognise human faces, are capable of reading human emotions, and love interacting with people. They have very carefree demeanours, and being small in size may make them more suitable for bonding with our smaller clients.

We have a wonderful herd of pygmy goats, including Uno in the photo, who are all very well socialised and will relish the opportunity of meeting new visitors next year.

07/12/2023

This issue is very relevant to us, as our volunteers had to spend a number of evenings in November placating our terrified animals whilst fireworks were set off in very close proximity to the sanctuary. Please read the detail from NEWC below and contact your local MP using the links provided to ask them to support the RSPCA's 'Bang Out of Order' campaign.

Thank you

This is "The Impact of Fireworks in a Semi-rural Community on Horses and other Animals - 4K" by Video on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the…

05/12/2023

HISTORY
The Berkshire Animal Connection Centre (BACC) was set up in October 2020 as an animal sanctuary, predominantly for horses and ponies, and has expanded to include goats and miniature donkeys.

VISION
It has always been our vision to:
• Provide education on animal welfare and behaviour primarily to children and young people
• Provide Animal Assisted Services such as Equine Facilitated Learning and Psychotherapy
• To welcome volunteers to the Sanctuary to help support them with their mental health and well-being

2024 MISSION
The mission is to provide sanctuary for animals who are unwanted, abused or abandoned and to provide a safe space for people of all ages, ethnicities and identities to experience and benefit from the therapeutic engagement with our gentle, intuitive, sentient, and non-judgemental animals.

03/12/2023

Our wonderful volunteers have done us proud this weekend - starting with Friday evening when Karen, Holly, Julie and Katherine represented us at a local fete, raising much needed funds with a raffle, and raising local awareness of our cause.

This weekend’s weather saw other hard working volunteers battling sub zero temperatures, frozen taps and freezing rain, yet they selflessly put the sanctuary’s animals before themselves and ensured all their needs were met.

Thank you all 💙

30/11/2023

You have now read about our exciting plans for 2024: Not only providing a sanctuary to animals, but also a safe space for people to benefit from therapeutic interaction with them.

We now want to enhance the Sanctuary to provide our animals with more shelters to protect them from all elements, and to provide a welcoming and accessible environment to those visiting us to benefit from EAS.

We know Christmas is looming and it's a very challenging time of year for everyone, but if you are able to donate any amount towards our cause we would be so very grateful. If you can't donate just now, please consider sharing our Crowdfunder link. Thank you so very much.

Today, The Berkshire Animal Connection Centre provides sanctuary to a number of horses, ponies, donkeys and goats. In 2024, we will expand the Charitable Objectives to include our long-awaited vision of offering Equine Assisted Services (EAS). We would like to enhance the Sanctuary to provide our an...

29/11/2023

Sanctuary: The majority of our animals come to us unwanted, abused or abandoned. We provide them with an environment that allows them to thrive naturally under our care for the rest of their lives.

Rocky’s Story

Rocky, a young skewbald gelding, has been at the sanctuary for just over 3 months. He is a special, kind boy and is very loved by us. Like many of our horses and ponies, he has been through a lot and will be on medication for the rest of his life.

He was originally taken in by Hampshire Spirit Horse Rescue, and together with their vets they did a great job of getting this boy through the worst of his physical injuries and gave him a safe space, but they needed to find a home for him, so we took him on to continue his rehabilitation.

Rocky had always depended on people as he had no interactions with horses in his previous life. He is very kind and gentle, but introducing him to his own kind was a slow and careful process. At first he was terrified of other ponies, then became over excited, but finally made friends and is enjoying his socialisation. He will stay at the Sanctuary for life and will one day be part of the larger BACC herd, if he agrees.

For months and months we hoped for this ….

Rocky was a stallion when he came to us , an ex road racer who was seriously injured….. he had no social skills and spent most of his life in a stable until he was six years of age ….

He was scared of other horses and when turned out in a paddock actually didn’t know that grass was to be eaten so we had to supplement with hay despite there being an abundance of grass ….

We spent a lot of time with Rocky , a lot of money to get him where he needed to be with pain relief and being castrated , and we all always hoped one day he could enjoy the company of others and live out his days just being a horse …

Mission accomplished as you can see …..

💙

28/11/2023

Continuing the story of our 2024 plans - Equine Assisted Services (EAS)

Our offering will be unique and will incorporate mindfulness, breathwork, and working with a group of horses to provide solution-focused and client-led outcomes. Those outcomes look at managing stress and anxiety, improving mental health and well-being and increasing confidence and self-esteem.

Our team of facilitators are all qualified in equine facilitated learning and/or psychotherapy, have completed specialist training and hold accredited qualifications with either LEAP Equine or Athena Herd.

We are a fully inclusive organisation and work with children, teenagers and adults and will facilitate several different programmes such as Equischolars and Project HORSES. We will also design bespoke programmes for specific requirements.

27/11/2023

Continuing the vision of our 2024 plans...

Equine Assisted Services (EAS) and Equine Facilitated Learning (EFL)

Enjoying the peaceful setting of the Sanctuary and spending time with the animals at BACC can help people with mental, physical and social problems.

Equine Facilitated Learning (EFL) is a learning approach that promotes the development of life skills for educational, professional and personal goals with ground-based activities. Building a relationship with a horse helps clients to recognise patterns of behaviour that may be having a negative impact on their lives.

26/11/2023

Today, The Berkshire Animal Connection Centre provides sanctuary to a number of horses, ponies, donkeys and goats. In 2024, we will expand our Charitable Objectives to include our long-awaited vision of offering Equine Assisted Services (EAS).

What is EAS? (Part I)

Equine Assisted Services is an umbrella term that includes education, learning, psychotherapy and coaching as part of the human-equine interactions which take place during sessions with clients.

At BACC we will offer equine assisted learning and wellbeing sessions to children, young people and adults in our local community.

Working with our rescue horses and ponies gives clients an opportunity to understand what difficult earlier lives they have experienced and how they have been able to heal and grow since coming to the Sanctuary. This helps clients to learn about themselves and the world they live in by experiential learning and helps to develop empathy and understanding of their own lives.

23/11/2023

Did you know that even in winter, horses drink approximately 20 to 30 litres of water a day? Water is vitally important for their health and wellbeing, and makes up around 60% of their body weight.

Our volunteers do daily checks and cleans of water buckets and troughs, so that our horses, like Sophia here, always have a fresh supply.

21/11/2023

Could we please ask our supporters to nominate BACC for a chance to receive £1000? It only takes one minute to submit and would make a big difference to us this winter.

The Berkshire Animal Connection Centre - registered charity No. 1191736

Thank you 🙏🏼

Nominate a charity for a 12 Days of Giving, Movement for Good award now.

19/11/2023

Thanks to this weekends volunteers, Ollie and Smurf are warm and dry on a fresh straw bed and tucking into their haynets. Our recent appeal for new volunteers brought us lots of new faces - all of whom will help us look after our horses, ponies, donkeys and goats at the sanctuary.

It’s not too late to join us if you too would like to be part of the BACC team! Just message us here and we’ll be in touch.

16/11/2023

The BACC provides a sanctuary to animals, and a safe space for people to benefit from therapeutic interaction with them.

Sanctuary – The majority of our animals come to us unwanted, abused or abandoned. We provide them with an environment that allows them to thrive naturally under our care for the rest of their lives.

Equine Assisted Services – the calming natures of the animals at BACC can support people suffering from a range of emotional, mental, physical and social problems. Building relationships with our animals enables therapeutic healing and wellbeing, under the guidance of qualified facilitators.

30/10/2023

**VOLUNTEER VACANCIES** Swallowfield

We are looking for some additional volunteers to join our existing team as we continue to grow and evolve our fabulous charity.

Are you local to RG2? Do you love animals?

If so, we are looking for regular helpers to help us at the Sanctuary between 8-11am or 3-6pm any day of the week.

We’re happy to hear from both experienced animal handlers as well as complete novices, as any required training will be provided.

Tasks will include turning out and bringing in ponies, mucking out the barn, poo picking the fields, topping up water, feeding, grooming and giving our animals tonnes of love! In return you'll form friendships with our horses, goats, donkeys and volunteers!

We’re a friendly organisation with plenty of kindness to share . Please get in touch via email - [email protected] or PM here on Facebook.

14/10/2023

Sorry we’ve been quiet of late, we’re still here and busier than ever, working on some exciting projects for the good of the charity.

We’ll be resuming normal service soon - until then, here’s a teaser of some of the new faces at the sanctuary…..

20/08/2023

Watching these two 🥰 Dolly & Josie

07/08/2023

Dougal’s been very busy making new friends

02/08/2023

**VOLUNTEER VACANCIES**

Mondays, Thursdays, Sundays & evening shifts available

Do you have a couple of hours to spare each week? Would you rather get your exercise fix outside in the fresh air as opposed to in the gym? 🐴

Are you local to RG2?
Do you love animals?
Then we’d love to hear from you, spring and summer are approaching ☀️

We’re looking for some keen helpers to cover shifts at the sanctuary.

We have availability Mondays, Thursdays & Sundays at either 8-11am or an hour between 3-6pm. We’re happy to hear from both experienced animal handlers as well as complete novices; as any required training will be provided.

Tasks will include turning out and bringing in ponies, mucking out the barn, poo picking, topping up water, feeding, grooming and giving our animals tonnes of love!

We’re a friendly organisation with plenty of kindness to share

Please get in touch via email - [email protected] or PM here on Facebook 😊

29/07/2023

Weekend is here 👏 no better place to be 🌟

26/07/2023

We’re developing a new play area for the goats, if you can offer any construction or DIY skills we’d love to hear from you 🐐👏
The goats are going to love it!

Karen Hare it was really lovely to meet you and introduce you to Louis 🌟 welcome 🤗

🐐

23/07/2023

Dougal.. he really is a very special boy, at 30 years old he needs extra care and attention.. would you like to come and meet our little man?

He really enjoys interaction and grooming sessions.. get in touch he’s just simply adorable ❤️

20/07/2023

All the horses here are very special but somehow Rory always steals the spotlight and brings smiles to those around him, he’s such a lovely horse 🤩and now rising 2..How time flies!