Buzz Lightyear to visit Horse Charity in Essex

Visitors to Remus Horse Sanctuary’s final Open Day in October will be able to meet a very special guest! Landing at 2.30pm on Sunday 3 October will be none other than Toy Story space ranger and superhero…Buzz Lightyear!

Members of the public are invited to visit with Buzz and the animals at the Sanctuary from 1pm until 5pm on Sunday 3 October 2021. Please note that Buzz will only be available for photographs and autographs between 2.30-3pm on that day due to a very tight schedule. A magician/entertainer will also be present during the afternoon to entertain the children.

Admission will be charged at £5 for adults and £2 for children and tickets can be purchased securely online via the charity’s website at: www.remussanctuary.org/events/open-day-sanctuary-october or by telephone on: 01277 356191. Advance booking is recommended to secure your place.

Parking is available on-site and disabled parking is available near to the yard. There is also a wheelchair accessible toilet. Dogs are welcome on a lead. Light refreshments will be available throughout the afternoon.

Visitors to the Sanctuary will be encouraged to wear masks in busy areas, to maintain a responsible social distance from each other and to wash their hands or use hand sanitiser regularly throughout the afternoon.

Ms Burton added, “We have been delighted to offer our events in a covid-safe environment so far this year and we have no reason to think that our final Open Day of the season will be any different.

“All activities will continue to take place outside, and we’ll take the necessary precautions to welcome people safely.

“We’ve hosted less than half our normal events for 2021 in order to make sure everyone is kept safe, so along with losing out financially for the whole of 2020, sadly we’re not in a great position. We hope that Buzz Lightyear will encourage people to attend.

“Even if people can’t visit us on the day, we’d love them to send us a donation.”

Donations can be made online via the website at www.remussanctuary.org/donate and further information on the charity is available at www.remussanctuary.org and the charity’s Facebook page.

Best Sausage Catchers Invited to Fun Dog Show at Charity Open Day

Remus Horse Sanctuary will be hosting its Fun Dog Show at its popular Open Day on Sunday 5 September. The gates will open at 1pm and the dog show will commence at 2pm, with registration from 1.30pm – classes will include ‘Best Sausage Catcher’, ‘Bad Hair Day’ and ‘Dogs with a Disability’ to name just a few.

Admission for the Open Day will be charged at £5 per adult and £2 for children. Tickets can be purchased securely online at: www.remussanctuary.org/events/open-day-sanctuary-september or via the telephone on: 01277 356191. The dog show will cost £2 per class entry and tickets can be purchased on the day. A list of the dog classes can be found via the above link.

Making an appearance at 3pm that afternoon will be none other than Mickey Mouse himself! A magician/entertainer will also be present during the afternoon to entertain the children. Parking is available on-site and disabled parking is available near to the yard. There is also a wheelchair accessible toilet.

Sue Burton, founder of the Sanctuary said, “Our dog shows are always such great fun! And of course, we’ll be continuing to take a cautious approach to ensure everyone is Covid-safe, with limited numbers and we’ll be asking visitors to maintain social distancing. We still want everyone to feel safe and to be safe.”

In line with current government guidelines, visitors will be asked to provide contact details for members in their party over the age of 16, or to scan the NHS QR Code using the NHS Covid-19 App. QR posters will be displayed at the main entrance. Contact details will not be held.

Visitors will be encouraged to wear masks in busy areas, to maintain a responsible social distance from each other and to wash their hands or use hand sanitiser regularly throughout the afternoon.

Ms Burton added, “We’ve experienced no problems at our events so far this year and everyone’s had a great time out in the open enjoying the beautiful Essex countryside. Our Open Days are such a great way of sharing our passion for the animals that we have rescued and protect.”

Further information on the fun dog show will be available on the website at www.remussanctuary.org and the charity’s Facebook page.

A Family Friendly Day Out at Remus Horse Sanctuary

Remus Horse Sanctuary will be opening its gates again on Sunday 1 August for one of its summer Open Days. Unfortunately, the July date had to be cancelled last minute due to Met Office weather warnings which then never materialised. Founder Sue Burton hopes that nothing impacts their August event, especially after losing out on so much fundraising as a result of the Covid pandemic.

Sue Burton said, “As you can imagine, we really need to maximise our fundraising efforts this year to try and make up for last year’s shortfall – of course that feels like an impossible task!

“When we invite visitors to the Sanctuary for an event, we require them to park on what is normally grazing land, so it’s vital that the ground underneath is firm. Not only that but, as the majority of our events are based outdoors naturally, torrential rain and storms can affect everyone’s enjoyment as well as spooking the animals. Fingers crossed for some nice summer sunshine on August 1st!”

Members of the public are invited to visit with the animals at the Sanctuary from 1pm until 5pm on Sunday 1 August 2021. However, to minimise physical contact and maintain responsible social distancing, tickets must be pre-booked and there will be waitress service within the refreshment area.

Making an appearance at 3pm that afternoon will be none other than Mickey Mouse himself! A magician/entertainer will also be present during the afternoon to entertain the children.

Admission will be charged at £5 per adult and £2 for children and tickets can be purchased securely via the charity’s website at: www.remussanctuary.org/events/open-day-at-the-sanctuary-august or by telephone on: 01277 356191.

Parking is available on-site and disabled parking is available near to the yard. There is also a wheelchair accessible toilet. Dogs are welcome on a lead.

Visitors will be encouraged to wear masks in busy areas, to maintain a responsible social distance from each other and to wash their hands or use hand sanitiser regularly throughout the afternoon.

Ms Burton added, “We’ve experienced no Covid issues at our previous events. Everyone has followed the guidelines and we’ve been able to offer a great day out in the beautiful Essex countryside, and everyone has enjoyed meeting the animals while feeling very comfortable with the safety rules in place.

“Despite the relaxation in measures, we will be continuing to take the necessary precautions for the foreseeable future and we look forward to welcoming people safely.”

Further information will be available on the website at www.remussanctuary.org and the charity’s Facebook page.

Return of Fun Dog Show to Charity Open Day

Remus Horse Sanctuary is delighted to announce the return of its Fun Dog Show to its popular Open Day this July. Previously on hold due to the Covid restrictions and despite the delay of step four of the Lockdown Roadmap, the Charity will be able to incorporate the fun dog show and children’s entertainer, including an appearance by Mickey Mouse at 3pm!

Members of the public are invited to join the team and animals at Remus when it opens its gates at 1pm on Sunday 4 July 2021. However, to minimise physical contact and maintain social distancing, tickets must be pre-booked and there will be waitress service within the refreshment area.

Admission will be charged at £5 per adult and £2 for children. Tickets can be purchased securely online at: www.remussanctuary.org/events/open-day-at-the-sanctuary-july, or via the telephone on: 01277 356191. The Fun Dog Show will commence at 2pm, entrants must pre-pre-book and arrive no later than 1.30pm. Entry costs £2 per class. A list of the classes can be found on the charity website.

Parking is available on-site and disabled parking is available near to the yard. There is also a wheelchair accessible toilet. Dogs are welcome on a lead.

Sue Burton, founder of the Sanctuary said, “We are absolutely delighted to be able to incorporate our fun dog show into our July Open Day! That said, we will be continuing to take a cautious approach with limited numbers and asking visitors to maintain social distancing. We still want our visitors and the Remus team to feel safe and to be safe.”

Visitors will be asked to keep two metres apart from others and encouraged to wash their hands or use hand sanitiser regularly throughout the afternoon.

Ms Burton added, “We experienced no problems at our May and June events and everyone who came along had a great time out in the open in the beautiful Essex countryside and enjoyed meeting the animals while feeling Covid safe. We sincerely hope that our stringent measures will mean we can continue to open safely throughout the summer.”

Further information on the fun dog show will be available on the website at www.remussanctuary.org and the charity’s Facebook page.

Visitors invited to Covid-Safe Open Day at Essex Horse Charity

Remus Horse Sanctuary will be opening its gates on Sunday 6 June 2021 to welcome visitors safely to the charity with numerous Covid-safe measures in place. To minimise physical contact, tickets must be pre-booked, entry times will be staggered, and there will be waitress service within the refreshment area.

The Sanctuary will be open from 1pm to 5pm for the event and pre-booking is essential either via the website or telephone as the charity will only be selling a limited number of tickets to ensure everyone’s safety and maintain social distancing.

Admission will be charged at £5 per adult and £2 for children. Tickets can be purchased securely online or via the telephone on: 01277 356191.

Parking is available on-site and disabled parking is available near to the yard. There is also a wheelchair accessible toilet. Dogs are welcome on a lead.

Sue Burton, founder of the Sanctuary said, “We are taking a cautious approach to our events this year. We want our visitors and the Remus team to feel safe and to be safe.

“Our on-site events are generally outdoors anyway, but we have put in place a number of measures to keep interaction to the minimum. For example, there will be stalls, but no stalls that allow for interaction, such as our regular tombola or children’s corner. We’ll even be disinfecting the fencing!”

Visitors will be asked to keep two metres apart from others and encouraged to wash their hands or use hand sanitiser regularly throughout the afternoon.

Ms Burton added, “We experienced no problems at our Open Day earlier in May. Everyone came along and had a great time out in the open in the beautiful Essex countryside and enjoyed meeting the animals whilst feeling Covid safe. We hope that our stringent measures will mean we can continue to open safely throughout the summer.”

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

Covid Safe Socially Distanced Open Day at Essex Horse Charity

Remus Horse Sanctuary will be opening its gates on Sunday 2 May 2021, ahead of the Early May Bank Holiday, for only the second time since October 2019. Visitors, members and supporters are invited to come and meet the 200+ animals residing and recuperating at the Sanctuary and learn about the Charity’s horse welfare programme.

The Open Day follows months of hardship experienced by the charity during the Covid pandemic and lockdown measures.

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 online for this event to ensure visitors safety and maintain social distancing. Entry will be staggered to manage the flow of visitors.

Parking is available on-site, with disabled access, and dogs are welcome on a lead. Admission will be charged at £5 per adult and £2 for children and tickets can be purchased securely online at www.remussanctuary.org/events/open-day-at-the-sanctuary-may, or via the telephone on 01277 356191.

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

“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 and we will direct people via a one-way system.”

This Open Day will be a vital source of fundraising for the charity which, like many, had most of its physical fundraising curtailed on 23 March 2020 at the start of lockdown. The Sanctuary was able to open briefly on Sunday 6 September but bad weather and further lockdown measures put paid to any further activity.

Ms Burton says, “We are asking people to purchase a ticket in advance to manage numbers and minimise physical contact on the day. We are so 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.

Celebrate World Animal Day at Essex Horse Charity

Remus Horse Sanctuary will be opening its gates for only the second time this year on Sunday 4 October to celebrate World Animal Day, coordinated by the Naturewatch Foundation. Visitors, members and supporters are invited to come and meet the 200+ animals and learn about the Sanctuary’s horse welfare programme and the issues that the charity has faced over the past 7 months.

Remus Horse Sanctuary is proud to support this global movement to raise the status of animals by using this special day to raise awareness for horse welfare in this country.

Parking is available on-site, with disabled access, and dogs are welcome on a lead. Refreshments will be available, including afternoon tea by advance booking.

Admission will be charged at £5 per adult and £2 for children and tickets can be purchased online at: www.remussanctuary.org/events/open-day-sanctuary-october/ or via 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 October.

“We want both our visitors and team to feel safe, and be safe, and will be operating a one way system on site with plenty of hand sanitizing stations. The event will be a totally outdoor environment with all buildings closed off and out of use.”

World Animal Day has become a global celebration for all animals and the people who love and respect them. It’s known on every continent and celebrated in different ways in many countries, with no regard to nationality, religion or political ideology.

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 welcoming visitors to this really special place on a day of international celebration.”

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

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.

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.

Local Horse Charity Needs Your Support at Virtual Open Day Sunday 5 July

Remus Horse Sanctuary is struggling to survive whilst experiencing extreme weather conditions alongside increased vet, medication and food bills – whilst assisting in welfare issues across the county – without its normal summer fundraising events, due to Covid-19.

Since lockdown on 23 March, Remus Horse Sanctuary has been managing with a small, skeleton staff, who have been required to care for its 200+ animals. Like so many small charities, it has had to cancel all of its fundraising efforts and is struggling to survive. As a result, its Summer Open Days have turned virtual and the charity will be hosting a further event on Sunday 5 July from 1pm to 5pm across social media.

Sue Burton, Founder of Remus Horse Sanctuary said, “This is the third event we will have hosted virtually and we are learning with every one. But our fundraising is down dramatically and we are struggling to survive right now.

“Last week was one of the tougher weeks at Remus, where everyone was pushed to their limits! The weather was so incredibly hot which made it difficult to work in, especially when doing such heavy work. We have been short staffed due to sickness and holiday so have had fewer staff working much harder in such heat. The torrential rain floods the road into us and our fields, meaning we have to walk in and out of work, then the extreme heat plays havoc with the animals.”

To try and mitigate the huge financial loss, the charity has been organising its Open Days virtually across its Facebook and Instagram platforms – until it can re-open to the public.

The next Virtual Open Day will take place on Sunday 5 July 1pm until 5pm. “Instead of you coming to us, we will come to you, by social media. Please, do join us!” said Ms Burton.

The charity will be sharing messages from the humans that work at the Sanctuary and from its animals, via photograph and video. It will also have merchandise for sale, information on conservation, enrichment, a tour of the yard and much more!

Those interested in finding out more about how the Sanctuary is coping during this time and in joining one of its virtual Open Days, can visit: www.facebook.com/RemusHorseSanctuary and www.instagram.com/remushorsesanctuary. Details of all of the charity’s Open Days can be found online at: www.remussanctuary.org/event-category/open_days/.

Ms Burton summarised, “Over the past week, we have experienced sore feet in some of the animals, chest infections, colic due to the heat, bloating and a jaw infection. All of this on top of the whole financial situation caused by Covid and all fundraising being stopped and money starting to dry up, so we really could have done without the added costs of the vets coming in every day this week and extra medications.

“From a welfare point of view, we have been crazily busy having to deal with cases all over the county from an absolutely emaciated mare to a decomposing foal dumped in the hedgerow. These are such sad and difficult times for us all.”

Any help you can offer by way of donation, fundraising or otherwise would be very much appreciated. You can contact Sue Burton at the Sanctuary on tel: 01277 356191 or by email to info@remussanctuary.org.

Local Horse Charity Goes Virtual Sunday 7 June

Like many small charities, Remus Horse Sanctuary has had to cancel all of its fundraising efforts and events as a result of Covid-19. The Sanctuary is currently existing with a small, skeleton staff, who are required to look after and care for its 200+ animals.

Sue Burton, Founder of Remus Horse Sanctuary commented on the Prime Minister’s recent announcement: “If the PM had said another 3 weeks of lockdown then we could start to move forward. But instead, my understanding is it could be July before they will even think about the hospitality/visitor sectors being allowed to re-open. We could survive the three weeks, but I have real concerns about surviving another three months or more.

“Everything goes on here – hungry mouths need feeding, staff need paying, vet fees and other bills come in on a daily basis but still there is no hope from the Government at all. At the beginning of all this we were told we had to close, and people had to stay in, so instantly our events were cancelled and our means of raising money disabled.”

To try and mitigate the huge financial loss, the charity is organising virtual Open Days – to be shared across its Facebook and Instagram platforms – until the Sanctuary can re-open to the public.

The next Virtual Open Day will take place on Sunday 7 June from 1pm until 5pm. “Instead of coming to us, we have decided to bring our Sanctuary Open Days to our supporters, by social media,” said Ms Burton.

Via video, the charity will be sharing messages from the humans that work at the Sanctuary and from its animals, with a little bit of history too. It will also have merchandise for sale, information on conservation, enrichment, a tour of the yard and much more!

Ms Burton concluded, “These are very worrying times. Every week it feels like the screws tighten and the mountain to climb gets higher.”