January 2015–The Farm Animal Sanctuary

The Donate a Day charity for January 2015 is The Farm Animal Sanctuary.

I think this passage from their website says it all really:

Why we are here..

Farm animals are global. They are not endangered, exotic or wild. They are animals who are born and raised for their meat and milk, and throughout the world very often do this with a minimum of care.
Care costs time and money, and they’re not considered to be worth either. They are just another product, although unlike other food products such as grains, fruits and vegetables, they bleed when they are injured. They die from fear and stress. They suffer distress when their young are taken away from them. They can be kept until they are too old to stand as long as they can still produce milk or offspring. They can then be travelled hundreds of miles, enduring awful conditions, to be slaughtered without pre-stunning.
There are very few places throughout the world where farm animals can find sanctuary to be able to live out their lives in peace, to be treated with kindness and respect. We watch these animals become comfortable and confident. We see their characters develop. We admire their intelligence and the way they embrace their peaceful surroundings. We watch them begin to play and finally become content.
They form close companionships and soon recognise the people who care for them and look after them. They ask for very little. For us it’s a pleasure and a privilege to be part of their daily lives.
This is why we are here.

http://www.thefarmanimalsanctuary.co.uk/index.php

December 2014 – Hearing Dogs for Deaf People

The chosen charity for December is Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.

One of my very first jobs when I started up Chocolate Tortoise was, coincidentally, to help out with a tortoise called Tom. Who happened to be female. She was at least 50 years old, and had become quite heavy and her owner, Lilian, needed some help in putting her outside each day to have a wander and a graze, and bringing her back in again in the evening. I’ve been helping to look after Tom for almost 4 years.

Unfortunately Lilian passed away last month and this month’s Donate a Day charity has been chosen in her memory – she was a very generous person and gave to many different charities and Hearing Dogs was one of her favourites.

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is a national charity and centre of excellence in training dogs to alert deaf people to important sounds and danger signals in the home, work place and public buildings.

Find out more from their website here: http://www.hearingdogs.org.uk/

November 2014–The Woodhouse Centre

The chosen charity for November 2014 is The Woodhouse Centre in Oxted

The local charity that supports local people

The Woodhouse Centre is a cheerful and busy 'workshop' for retired and disabled people living in Oxted and surrounding areas.

Most people come for companionship and to share the spirit of a cheerful, busy environment. There are about equal numbers of men and women and the age range is literally 20 to 90. Most of the workers are collected from their homes by a dedicated team of volunteer drivers.

A list of our most common activities:

• Upholstery
• Caning
• Seagrassing of chairs and stools
• Needle work
• Assembling poppies

http://www.thewoodhousecentre.co.nr/

October 2014 – Cinnamon Trust

The chosen charity for October 2014 is The Cinnamon Trust

The Cinnamon Trust are a national charity which helps the elderly and people with a terminal illness with their pets, enabling them to stay together if possible, helping to rehome the pets if not, and generally providing comfort, advice and help.

Emma’s parents made use of the Cinnamon Trust when they could no longer walk their dog. The trust found a couple of volunteers who were happy to walk Nugget every week, giving everyone peace of mind, and ensuring Nugget got some good exercise!

From their website: http://www.cinnamon.org.uk/home.php

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The Cinnamon Trust

The only specialist national charity for people in their last years and their much loved, much needed companion animals.

A network of 15,000 volunteers “hold hands” with owners to provide vital loving care for their pets. We keep them together - for example, we’ll walk a dog every day for a housebound owner, we’ll foster pets when owners need hospital care, we’ll fetch the cat food, or even clean out the bird cage, etc.

When staying at home is no longer an option, our Pet Friendly Care Home Register lists care homes and retirement housing happy to accept residents with pets, and providing previous arrangements have been made with us we will take on life time care of a bereaved pet.

The Cinnamon Trust - Peace of mind for owners, love, care and safety for beloved pets. But helping 32,142 people a year with 41,342 animals and running two home from home sanctuaries costs - We need your help to make sure we’re always there.

September 2014 – Wildlife Aid

The chosen charity for September 2014 is Wildlife Aid

I volunteered at this centre for nearly 3 years. It does great work in rescuing local wildlife which has been harmed through accident or malicious intent. Whilst some people may think that saving foxes, pigeons and squirrels may not be a worthwhile pursuit to support, they also help out more rare animals, and the principle of saving animals from suffering is a noble one, regardless of the animal concerned.
They also do great work in promoting respect for all animals, and educating people of all ages. For this alone, they deserve support.
From their website (http://www.wildlifeaid.org.uk/):

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All wild animals that come into our care are treated and rehabilitated completely free of charge. Our aim is to return every animal that is capable of surviving back to its natural environment.

August 2014–Amnesty International UK

The chosen charity for August is Amnesty International

Whilst I usually choose small, local charities, I think Amnesty International is a deserved exception. I don’t agree with everything they do, but I think we need organisations like this to support those in need, and to raise awareness of things going on in the world. Without their work, many atrocities would go unnoticed.

The donation this month includes an amount from a friend of ours, Fiona, who did some work recently for Chocolate Tortoise and refused payment, suggesting I include it in my Donate a Day donation. I know she is a big supporter of Amnesty International, which also helped decide the charity this month.

From their website: http://www.amnesty.org.uk/

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We are Amnesty International UK. We work to protect men, women and children wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.

With over three million members worldwide, Amnesty International is the world’s largest grassroots human rights organisation. We investigate and expose abuses, educate and mobilise the public, and help transform societies to create a safer, more just world. We received the Nobel Peace Prize for our life-saving work.

July 2014–Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary

The chosen charity for July is the Donkey Sanctuary on the Isle of Wight.

We recently went to one day of the Isle of Wight music festival. After a long, but enjoyable day listening to the bands on the Saturday, we spent the Sunday visiting a couple of places on the island. One of these was the Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary. As you may guess from the name, this is a sanctuary for donkeys. It was a big, clean and well run place. I especially liked the fact that entry is free, and while they would obviously like you to donate, there is no pressure. Dogs are welcome too, and the volunteers there guiding you to places to park and helping out around the place were very friendly and helpful.

It’s ‘just’ a place with fields full of donkeys, but does a great job and it’s great that they open their doors to visitors. Well worth stopping by, even for just half an hour, to give your support. If nothing else, seeing a load of donkeys running around in big fields, well cared for, should put a smile on your face.

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