15 August 2016

Volunteers roll up their sleeves!

Kind-hearted volunteers from supermarket chain Aldi rolled up their sleeves for the day to join our farm team at Redwings Oxhill in caring for the centre’s 90 horses, ponies and donkeys, as part of a team building day!

Twenty employees from the supermarket’s UK head office near Tamworth gave up their time for free to help the team at our Warwickshire visitor centre with the many essential day-to-day tasks that go into running a busy horse sanctuary.

The group got stuck into a range of activities including filling haynets, cleaning and replenishing water tanks, replacing mineral licks, cutting back overgrowth and even clearing the paddocks of poo (pictured below)!

While going about their tasks, the volunteers had the chance to meet and find out more about some of Redwings Oxhill’s most well-known four-legged residents, including Adoption Stars part-bred Poitou donkey Arya and mighty Shire cross Major.

Gemma Walpole, Redwings’ Head of Fundraising, said: “We’d like to say a big thank you to the volunteers from Aldi. With over 90 horses, ponies and donkeys living at Redwings Oxhill, our farm team has a tough job on their hands every day.

“Extra pairs of hands lent by our volunteers give our teams the precious gift of time so they can continue caring for those residents most in need, as well as making sure our visitors get the best possible experience at our centres. With staffing being one of our greatest costs, the valuable funds that can also be saved through the contributions of volunteers cannot be underestimated.”

All of Redwings’ visitor centres offer a range of exciting individual volunteering roles - click here to find out more - while businesses looking for opportunities for their staff to get mucky for a day in aid of a good cause are also very welcome to contact us to arrange a group visit.