Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary

22/09/2023

22/09/2023

Tomorrow is our Butterfly Walk, which needed to be rescheduled from last week. We're hoping for much better weather tomorrow!

We still have spaces available to join if you would like a chance to join Leader Jim Baldwin on a walk through our meadow to learn how to identify local butterfly species and get in depth knowledge.
We have fantastic wildlife at the IOW Donkey Sanctuary and are very excited for Jim Baldwin to join us.

Spaces are £10 and can be booked on our website.

22/09/2023

Next Saturday is our Moth Recording event!

A fantastic opportunity to collect and identify moths that have been collected overnight. This will take place in our beautiful wildlife meadow. Once identification has taken place the moths will be released into a safe environment.

This event has 25 spaces and spaces cost £10 per person.
Breakfast will be available in the café with further discussions to take place at 9.30am

Must be booked in advance on our website: www.iowdonkeysanctuary.org/whats-on -now

Event is subject to dry weather and may be cancelled due to wet weather

22/09/2023

Ending the week with the beautiful Mabel, one of the sweetest donkeys

22/09/2023

Did you know that we offer volunteer day placements for companies who offer their employees days off to volunteer for the charity of their choice?

This is Ella Cook, who works for Thalia Waste Management who chose to use her volunteer days at the Sanctuary through Thalia’s Community Payback Scheme. Ella chose us as her Charity as her daughter is a big animal lover and often asks to visit the donkeys!

Ella donated her time to help out in our busy Grazers Cafe working alongside our fabulous team. Ella said it was great to spend some time working in an environment that she had worked in seasonally for many years and enjoyed the opportunity to do something different, whilst also supporting a charity.

Our thanks go to Ella for choosing the IOW Donkey Sanctuary and to Thalia Waste Management for supporting charities in this way.

If you work for a company who offer their employees this sort of opportunity and would like to find out more about partnering with the Sanctuary, please contact Lisa Curtis at [email protected] or call 01983 852693.

22/09/2023

We are very happy to have found out that we have been awarded a 2023 Award from Tripadvisor
This is awarded to listings that receive consistent great reviews. They have also told us that we rank in the top 10% of attractions worldwide, and this is all thanks to you!

Thank you to all our visitors, for supporting us, and sharing your experiences with others!

22/09/2023

We have been updating our look and continuing to make improvements at Grazers Café.

Our latest change is that we have updated the chairs that are inside the café for a more vibrant look, also making sure that they will be comfortable, and should be much lighter.
This means that we have some of our previous chairs now available that we are no longer using.

If anyone is interested in these chairs, pictured in the photo, please do get in touch with us at (01983) 852693
These are high quality wooden chairs, but have been used in our café since opening, so the price will reflect that. We have seen other websites offer these particular chairs in used condition for £40 each, but are willing to offer ours for £25 each.
Contact us if you are interested.

22/09/2023

The fabulous Molly!
Molly has been with us for 10 months now and she is doing wonderfully. She has been a big hit with our visitors, and she loves to say hello to everyone.

22/09/2023

We have heard that today is a big day for women's football, and Hannah has even heard that there is a player on the England team who shares her name!

Hannah, and all of us at the Isle of Wight Sanctuary, want to wish England's women's football team the best of luck for today. We are sure you will be amazing.

22/09/2023

22/09/2023

One of our lovely visitors, Ruth, sent us this beautiful poems and photos after her visit this week, and it is so lovely that we had to share it with everyone!

The Donkey Sanctuary today was our destination
We arrived just after lunch with such anticipation
With Henry in his buggy we went to get a coffee
We got them from the cafe they came out hot and frothy

We sat and sipped our drinks listening to the group
The Boogie Woogie sisters with Mark it made a troupe
It’s such a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon
Then off to see the donkeys they run around and zoom

The older ones it’s time to be going to their stable
We watch them walking past they all seem very able
I take a few snaps so willingly they go
Next stop the paddock where they’re walking to and fro

It’s dinner time for them and they are eating hay
Chomping it together they do it every day
One lone donkey rolling on the soft green grass
I tried to take a photo then a donkey he did pass

I snap away I’m happy it's my kind of day
Watching him roll around and playing in that way
They all seem very happy in their paddock lush and green
Living out retirement it’s a wonder to be seen

©️Ruth Levi-Kent 20th August 2023
www.Facebook.com/RuthTheDyslexicPoet

22/09/2023

Our Moth Recording event which was rescheduled from last week is set to go ahead tomorrow! We still have spaces left.

A fantastic opportunity to collect and identify moths that have been collected overnight. This will take place in our beautiful wildlife meadow. Once identification has taken place the moths will be released into a safe environment.

There are still spaces available and they cost £10 per person.
Breakfast will be available in the café with further discussions to take place at 9.30am

Spaces can be booked on our website.

Event is subject to dry weather and may be cancelled due to wet weather

22/09/2023

Who here is a fan of our gorgeous Diana?

22/09/2023

IWDS & Wight Agility Group Dog Show

Next Sunday we are hosting a dog show with our friends from Wight Agility Group, and hope to see lots of gorgeous dogs in attendance!

It is on 3rd of September from 1pm - 4pm.

There will be 13 different classes, so there is sure to be something for everyone. Entries will be made on the day and will cost £3 per class, £5 for 2, or £10 for 4.

Join us for a fun day and help raise some funds for the donkeys.

22/09/2023

Available for adoption now message me directly

On Saturday 26th August, we sadly said goodbye to our very special Daisy Donkey.

Daisy, who was in her late 30s had been receiving veterinary treatment and physiotherapy sessions for several medical conditions. After her diagnosis of a range of osteoarthritis and spondylosis, we knew that it would now be a case of managing her condition for as long as we were able to. She responded well to her physio sessions with Bianca, and really enjoyed the lovely massages that she would give her.
Despite the best efforts of our wonderful team of staff and volunteers, together with the support of our veterinary team and physiotherapist – Daisy’s condition was deteriorating, and she was beginning to suffer.
Daisy spent her last day out in a paddock with her friends, Coffee, and Nick, surrounded by many volunteers, visitors, and staff, who loved her so much. It is always difficult when we lose one of our beloved animals, but we remember the joy they brought so many, and we will remember Daisy with much fondness.

Daisy lived at the sanctuary for eighteen years. She came to us with her two friends Dizzle and Dazzle (who have since passed away) when they were all in their late teens.
Daisy was a very gentle, calm donkey and loved living her later years in a small herd with Coffee and Nick. Before joining Nick and Coffee, Daisy lived with a few different herds during her time here. Before joining Nick and Coffee she spent some time with the Jennies herd, where she had some quality girls time and always made the most of the grooming sessions, being the first at the hurdles to beg to come in. Often, she’d gently nudge other donkeys out of the way to have additional grooming time!

Prior to being in the Jennies herd, she lived in our Community and Outreach herd, along with Busby, Merlin, Joseph, Blossom, and Belle. She was one of our best community and outreach donkeys, which is why she was chosen for this herd. She was extremely fond of people and would be first at the paddock gate to meet team members, volunteers, and visitors. This herd was eventually parted because we were able to expand our community and outreach donkeys to include many others, and Daisy could have a well-deserved rest with the jennies.
Before this herd, she was in the Adoptions herd, back when there were only a select few that were adoptable. She was in a herd with Busby, Bruno, Belle, Blossom, Paddy, and Murphy. She was perfect for this herd. She was a gorgeous donkey, with a beautiful personality that really loved people. It is easy to see why she remained one of our most popular adopted donkeys to this day. Sadly, all but Murphy have now passed away from this group but it is heart-warming to think that she can now join her friends again.

All our donkeys end their days here at the Sanctuary and we ensure all our animals receive the highest standard of care.

Rest in Peace sweet Daisy.

22/09/2023

We have some brand new stock added to the Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary's Online Shop!

We have added some clothing items, new designs, beautiful wooden postcards featuring your favourite donkeys, and we have now added our 2024 calendars ready to buy!

Visit www.iowdonkeysanctuary.org/shop to check out the new stock!

22/09/2023

Murphy and Frosty really enjoy their warm breakfasts! They're such close friends they don't even mind sharing.

22/09/2023

Our gift shop stocks a wide variety of local products. We love to support local businesses and offer our visitors the best of what the Isle of Wight has to offer!

Some of these products include some handcrafted items from The Olive Home

Pop into our shop to check out the rest of our stock, with new items added regularly.

22/09/2023

Our best in show and reserve in show!

Thank you so much everyone who attended the day, there were so many gorgeous dogs. We hope to see you all again soon. Thank you to Wight Agility Group as well for helping us hold another wonderful dog show.

More photos from today will follow soon, so look out for your gorgeous pups!

22/09/2023

Can you help?

We're running very low on healthy treats and licks. With over 120 animals, we can go through these quite quickly.

We have added the donkey's favourite treats and a horselyx onto our Amazon Wishlist.
These healthy treats are low calorie and allow us to provide rewards during training. Training can include activity and horsebox training to be able to travel and take part in community events or activities on site, but can also include exposure training to gain trust around people and being handled.
The horselyx that we have added to the list is a garlic balancer and these act as a natural fly repellant, and also serve as a tasty treat for the herds to use and extra enrichment.

If you feel that you could help us and donate any of these, we would be so grateful.
You can find our wishlist here: www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/PSK6XN95AOOP?ref_=wl_share

If you experience any problems with the address, this can be solved by entering our address in manually instead.

22/09/2023

The absolutely gorgeous Twinkle ✨

22/09/2023

Early Closure - 28th September

The Sanctuary will be closing at 3pm on the 28th of September for a private staff/volunteer celebration. After a busy summer, they all deserve a treat and some praise!

This will also mean for anyone visiting Grazers Café that last food orders will be at 2:30pm to allow everyone to finish early.

We apologise for any inconvenience.