At any one time there could be up to 350 animals on site in the care of Woodlands Animal Sanctuary. That is only possible due to the dedicated team of staff, volunteers and the board of trustees who work tirelessly to make this operation run smoothly and to help so many sick, injured and abandoned animals. As you may have seen if you went to the Easter Egg Hunt they held on 15th April, Woodlands are very lucky to have such a talented team of staff and an absolutely amazing army of volunteers who make open days like that one possible. From setting up in the rain, to manning a stall, to creating and delivering an Easter Egg Hunt, to preparing the animals to meet visitors, to manning pens so that no animals are distressed during the open day, to helping to pack away all the equipment afterwards. Woodlands Animal Sanctuary often relies and depends of each and every one of the dedicated members of staff and volunteers who give up their own time to help this amazing cause and become a part of the ever growing Woodlands family.
Not only do Woodlands encourage volunteers to be included during events such as open days, the team of staff also offer people the opportunity to volunteer on a daily basis to help provide the vital care and attention all 350 animals need each and every single day - including bank holidays, Christmas and in bad weather. From work experience during school, to those needing experience for vet school, to educational visits and those with learning difficulties everyone is welcome at Woodlands and is given the opportunity to learn about and get hands on with the resident animals.
As with most things in life, money is always a necessity and this is no different for Woodlands. Woodlands Animal Sanctuary is a charity, solely funded by the generosity of the Great British Public – whether that is through donations, gift aid or legacies. A very large aspect of life at Woodlands for all the humans involved is therefore fundraising. Liz Gould, a trustee for Woodlands says “Raising the £3000 per week needed to keep the sanctuary running is a major challenge for us and we couldn’t do this without the help of our amazing volunteers. We always need more people to help at collections, bag packs and other fundraising events so if you can spare an hour or two now and again to help with this vital aspect of our work we would love to hear from you.”
If you think you would like to become more involved with Woodlands Animal Sanctuary, then have a look at their website: www.woodlandsanimalsanctuary.org.uk to find out more about the volunteering opportunities available to help Woodlands continue to do the wonderful, heart-warming work they do.