Wildlife charity 'astounded' by amount raised at summer open day despite wet weather

Volunteers at an animal welfare charity were 'astounded' after a final fundraising count revealed more than £10,000 was raised at its open day.

LAST COPYRIGHT SHROPSHIRE STAR JAMIE RICKETTS 22/06/2022 - Cuan Wildlife Rescue have been having a challenging time with donations. They are still busy with intake of birds etc, but desperately need help with food, supplies and drivers, even with the cost of living. In Picture: Fran Hill holding a mallard duckling.

Despite it being a very wet and windy event, the community came out in full force to support Cuan Wildlife Rescue on July 24 this year.

A total of £10,013.03 was raised on the day, as the hospital opened its doors for people to see the incredible work the team do in caring for sick, injured and orphaned wildlife.

Established in 1990, the charity has grown steadily over the years and now has purpose-built facilities for the 6,000 wildlife casualties it receives each year.

Cuan Wildlife Rescue Centre open day. .Watching the dog show in the rain Rosemary Lewis with Henrietta Davies with her grand children from Arleston Wellington..

Fran Hill, manager at the rescue centre said: "It took a while to get the finished amount altogether, but I think we were all astounded by it – the weather certainly didn't put people off.

"It was a fantastic day, even though it was a bit of a blow we didn't have the weather we anticipated."

LAST COPYRIGHT MNA MEDIA TIM THURSFIELD 29/12/21.Becky Lewis, wildlife care assistant at Cuan Wildlife Rescue Centre, Much Wenlock, with one of the European hedgehogs which are ready to be released back into the wild after a lengthy period of recuperation...

Cuan Wildlife Rescue has recently been in receipt of a £1,000 donation through the Movement for Good: Benefact Group, after people voted online for the charity to benefit from the money.

"We are so incredibly grateful for all of the support we have and when we put out a plea for something, people respond so quickly," Fran added.

"People just want to help and it makes us realise just how much support we do have out there."

The open day offered visitors an array of activities to get involved with, including face-painting, a bouncy castle, as well as a dog show where people could enter their pets.

There dog show had 15 different categories – everything from waggiest tail to best trick, which was organised by Telford Pet Services.

The large sum of money raised will go towards the day-to-day running costs of the wildlife centre, which Fran said equates to £30,000 a month.

And with a lot of money currently being swallowed up by energy costs, the extra funds will help make sure the charity can keep up its good work.

Fran said the energy situation was 'quite frightening' at the moment, particularly given the resources volunteers use to care for sick and injured animals.

"A lot of people don't realise that the majority of animals that come in will go to a heat pad as that helps with shock and if they are unwell they want to be warm," Fran said.

Incubators can operate 24 hours a day for some animals, which means the charity is constantly using energy to support its feathery residents.

To make a donation to Cuan Wildlife Rescue, visit cuanwildliferescue.org.uk.