10 July 2020

#CoronaChronicles: Week 16

The #CoronaChronicles celebrates its sweet 16 this week with a very special announcement.

After much careful consideration, we’re delighted to be announcing that we will be reopening two of our visitor centres to the public on weekends, on a trial basis.

On Saturday 25^th July, we look forward to welcoming back supporters to Redwings Caldecott, near Great Yarmouth – just in time for Norfolk Day! This opening will be followed by Redwings Aylsham, north of Norwich, on Saturday 8^th August.

As we wish to trial our new safety measures on a small-scale to start, we do not at the moment have reopening dates for our other visitor centres; Redwings Ada Cole in Essex, Redwings Oxhill in Warwickshire and Redwings Mountains in Angus, Scotland.

We’re very sorry if this causes any disappointment – please keep checking back for the latest updates as everything could be subject to change!

We believe our visitor centres provide a valuable outdoor space to enjoy time with your family (dogs are welcome too!) and a chance to see the work of Redwings in action, so we’re very excited to be able to offer this opportunity once again. However, there will naturally be some changes and new rules we will be asking our visitors at Redwings Caldecott and Redwings Aylsham to follow, including:

The visitor centres will only be open on Saturdays and Sundays, 10.30am to 3pm.
Visitors will need to book in advance through Eventbrite to help us control visitor numbers. Entry remains free but we would be grateful for donations towards the care of our rescued residents.

Tickets for Redwings Caldecott can be booked by clicking here.

Tickets for Redwings Aylsham can be booked by clicking here.

We will be asking visitors to try and limit their time at the centres to 60 - 90 minutes.
There will be one-way routes around the sites.
Our cafes and play areas will unfortunately remain closed, however there will be phased access to our gift shops, and a takeaway drinks and snacks service (both starting at Redwings Aylsham on 8^th August and Redwings Caldecott on 15^th August).
Please follow the latest guidelines regarding the use of face masks.
Events, such as Adoption Star birthday parties and school holiday activities, will remain suspended for now.

We advise visiting the individual visitor centre pages on our website for more details about the facilities which will be available before travelling to Redwings Caldecott and Redwings Aylsham.

We feel these measures will ensure the protection of our staff, while also giving our supporters the confidence that they can visit our horses and donkeys safely.

However, please be aware, that the reopening of Redwings Caldecott and Redwings Aylsham is on a trial basis so these measures may be revised in line with new Government advice at any time.

Most importantly, we want to thank you all for your incredible support and kind wishes over these very challenging months. If you’re unable to visit one of our Norfolk centres, remember you can still get your horsey fix by following our social media channels which we’re filling every day with photos and videos from across the Sanctuary.

There are also plenty of ways you can support Redwings without visiting one of our centres, including donating to our Coronavirus Appeal, sponsoring one of our Adoption Stars or joining in one of online fundraisers. Click here to find out more!

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Please click here to read last week’s #CoronaChronicles.