A-LAW member, Hannah Moneagle, talks about her grassroots support for a local animal sanctuary and organises a sanctuary visit for members in the new year.
In late 2017, I became aware of the plight of four 7/8 week old piglets who were advertised on Facebook as “lean meat.” They were about the size of cats and, as an animal lover, the thought they would be killed affected me. Teaming up with a friend who felt the same way, we contacted various animal sanctuaries to find space to accommodate the piglets if we could secure their release from the owner. Fortunately, the Scottish charity, Willows Animal Sanctuary and Animal-Assisted Therapy Unit (“Willows”) situated in New Pitsligo, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, agreed to accommodate the piglets on the basis that we raised funds to assist them in purchasing new pig arcs to ensure there was sufficient space and accommodation for the new arrivals. Fortunately, we managed to raise the funds and Norman, Ginger, Elvis, and Peppa were safely transported to Willows, where they have lived ever since.
They couldn’t have found a better home as Willows is the largest, vegan-run and ethically-managed equine, farm and domestic animal sanctuary in Scotland. The sanctuary accommodates over 500 rescued animals, including over 100 horses, ponies and donkeys, approximately 50 cats, a number of dogs, reptiles, and over 200 farm animals and birds. As the sanctuary is entirely dependent upon donations, legacies and grants from benevolent organisations, I wanted to give something back to Willows and became an official fundraiser. This role developed in time and I became the first Animal Ambassador for Willows, which gave me responsibilities for marketing and communications in addition to fundraising tasks. One of my favourite tasks was bottle feeding the orphaned lambs on livestream so that supporters of Willows could engage with their work and see the new arrivals. Sadly, as my legal career progressed, I found it difficult to maintain the role due to external time pressures.
As the pandemic took hold of the world, I was made aware that Willows was struggling financially following the closure of the site to members of the public which resulted in an immediate loss of 50% of the charity’s normal funding. I returned to assist with fundraising duties, and raised over £36,000 to help see the sanctuary through this period. The charity faced further difficulties in November 2021 when Storm Arwen hit and destroyed many of the outbuildings and animal housing on site. Fortunately, we were again able to fundraise, and many tradespeople and companies assisted in restoring the site to its former state.
Willows re-opened to the public earlier this year but only one-day a week due to ongoing concerns regarding Covid-19. Many of the staff and volunteers are classed as vulnerable and Willows has chosen not to take the risk of exposing them to high numbers of visitors for the time being.
Scottish A-Law members may be interested to learn that we are planning a trip to Willows over Spring/Summer 2023. If you would be interested in attending with us, please complete this Expression of Interest form and we can keep you updated on our plans.
As with many charities, funding remains an enormous challenge for Willows and, this Christmas, it is hoped that animal lovers and supporters of Willows will choose to buy their Christmas gifts from Willows to secure the immediate future of the charity and see it through the colder Winter months. If you would like to support Willows this Christmas, you can do so by purchasing Feed Donation Cards or items from the Willows Online Shop or Online Charity Shop, sponsoring an animal resident, or buying a sponsorship pack for a loved one.
