Live Family Fun Day at Essex Horse Charity

Remus Horse Sanctuary will be opening its gates for the first time this year on Sunday 6 September, after months of hardship through lack of volunteer staff and fundraising, as a result of the pandemic and lockdown measures. Visitors, members and supporters are invited to come and meet the 200+ animals including Bracken, pictured top left, and learn about the Sanctuary’s horse welfare programme and the issues that the charity has faced over the past 6 months.

The Sanctuary will be open from 1pm to 5pm and pre-booking is essential as Remus will only be selling a limited number of tickets for this event to ensure visitors’ safety and maintain social distancing. Parking is available on-site, with disabled access, and dogs are welcome on a lead. Admission will be charged at £4 per adult and £2 for children and tickets can be purchased online at:  www.remussanctuary.org/events/open-day-sanctuary-september or via the telephone on 01277 356191.

Sue Burton, founder of the Sanctuary said, “We have undertaken numerous risk assessments and are confident that we can open safely in September.

“We want our visitors and the Remus team to feel safe and be safe, so we have applied caution and will only open the areas that we feel are safe to do so. The site will be a totally outdoor environment with all buildings closed off and out of use.”

The Sanctuary provides rehabilitation and care for around 200 animals, including horses, ponies, donkeys, goats, sheep and cats, and has been doing so since it was founded in 1983.

This Open Day will be a vital source of fundraising for the charity which, like many, had all of its physical fundraising curtailed on 23 March at the start of lockdown.

Ms Burton says, “We are asking people to purchase a ticket online wherever possible to avoid unnecessary administration in our office – which is already under strain. And we are all looking forward to opening our gates again and welcoming visitors to this really special place.”

For further information, visit www.remussanctuary.org or contact Sue Burton on tel: 01277 356191.