05/04/2026
Now I try not to whinge too much on here cause I know there's enough negativity out there without me adding to it, but it's been a really, really rough week and I feel like I need to air some of it.
Since Monday, we have admitted 22 animals, our volunteers have driven over 500 miles collecting and transporting wildlife and we've organised help for multiple animals outside of our area because people have been unable to find help closer to them. I've sat for hours by the side of a field trying to sort help for a deer trapped in fencing, who unfortunately had to be euthanased in the end. I've missed meals. I've missed sleep. I've spent my own money on fuel and supplies for the animals. I've had to arrange emergency childcare for my daughter because I can't get to school to pick her up on time because I'm dealing with an animal.
I've also been spoken to like s**t, on multiple occasions, by people who demand that we 'collect an animal immediately' or tell me that they're 'not touching it that's what you're here for'. I've also put hours of effort into sorting help without even a 'thank you' for it.
I appreciate there are genuine times when people can't transport an animal, but at the moment there are more people unable or unwilling to transport than people that are. I know fuel is expensive at the moment and everyone's time is precious. But fuel is expensive for us too and we all pay for it out of our own pockets. And our time is precious too. I have a child I want to be able to spend time with. My own animals to care for. My own household jobs to do and heaven forbid sometimes I might also want to sit down for 5 minutes and drink a cup of coffee while it's still warm.
We've taken in 22 patients in 4 days, and also responded to multiple other calls where we've been out to animals or transported them to a vets when finders couldn't. In the same 4 days, just one of the animals we helped came with a donation. And I absolutely don't expect everyone to donate, I know there are genuine reasons why people can't and we would never turn an animal away because someone hasn't donated but I'm constantly told that we should do this 'for the love of the animals' and trust me I wouldn't be putting myself through all of this if I didn't love the animals, but 'the love of the animals' doesn't pay our rent, or our vet bill or our food bill.
So far, our move to the new centre has cost us over £20,000. We have been lucky to receive some grants and business donations to help but it's impossible for us to carry on like this. We are an incredibly small team absolutely working our socks off to try and make this work.
Please, if you can, help us out! Whether that be by making a donation or just actually speaking to us kindly when you need to contact us for help! Cause I can assure you, the very last thing I want to hear after I've just fought for hours to try and save an animal and failed, is someone telling me that they're going to leave an animal by the side of the road to die because I 'clearly don't actually care about wildlife anyway'.
[photo of one of the very cute admissions from this week as an apology for the moan]
