19 March 2020

Updated coronavirus statement

At Redwings, we are continuing to review the situation and are adapting our plans daily to coincide with the latest Government advice on the coronavirus outbreak.

Thank you to everyone who took the time yesterday to comment on our proposal to keep our visitor centres open on a very restricted basis. Your overwhelmingly positive response and kind wishes were lovely to read at this time.

However, in light of the latest announcement regarding school closures, we have decided that we can no longer offer this opportunity and all of our visitor centres will close completely to the public from this Friday (tomorrow).

We would have loved to have been able to have provided a safe space for you to visit with your families during this difficult time, but with a large proportion of our care staff being parents themselves, the existing pressures on our teams have now intensified and we need to ensure all those still able to work can concentrate fully on maintaining the welfare of our 1,500 rescued horses and donkeys.

We are so sorry to cause any disappointment but thank you for your understanding.

As mentioned yesterday, all events and activities, including Adoption Star birthday parties, due to take place at the centres will be postponed or cancelled until further notice. In the meantime, please keep an eye on our social media pages where we’ll be posting plenty of gorgeous photos of our rescued residents over the coming weeks to ensure you’ll still get your horsey fix!

As for our operations, our welfare line remains open for anyone wishing to report a welfare concern and our Field Officers will continue to investigate those reports where possible. We will also endeavor to continue with our rehoming scheme, subject to considerations over social distancing etc. If you are in the process of rehoming a Redwings horse, we will be contacting you shortly with our latest advice, and anyone who submits an application in the coming weeks will be advised accordingly at that point.

Once again, we thank you for your incredible support and look forward to bringing you all happier news soon. Please keep visiting our website or follow our social media pages for further updates from us. We wish everyone a safe and healthy few weeks.