KENT NEWS:
Fifty abused and neglected horses could be shot if the owners of a refuge fails to raise enough money to buy their rented farm.
So desperate is their plight, Sara and Alan Ross, who run The Horse Refuge in Wittersham near Tenterden, are turning to KoS readers for help.
“We desperately need to find the money before April,” said Mrs Ross.
“No amount is too small – we’re not expecting one person to give us a massive amount of cash, we just need everybody to chip in.”
Mrs Ross, who launched the sanctuary in 1995, needs to raise £600,000 to buy Dobells Farm, where they run the refuge, which is being sold by their landlord in April.
Thanks to generous donations, including an undisclosed amount from music mogul Simon Cowell, £215,000 has been raised.
But an eviction notice was issued last week, giving Mr and Mrs Ross just six weeks to stump up the rest of the money or face losing their home, their horses and the other 30 animals they look after.
“Many of the horses have been abused or neglected and can’t travel or be re-homed,” said Mrs Ross.
“A lot of them will lose their lives if we don’t find this money, but we’re really struggling. We only have a small amount of time left.
“The refuge is needed, especially at the moment where there have been problems with people abandoning their horses because they can’t afford to keep them.
“Just the other night one was left shackled to our fence – it was like skin and bone. We had to work through the night to make room for it as we’re so full up.”
X Factor judge Cowell approached Mrs Ross in December after hearing of her plight and urged his friends to donate to the charity instead of buying him Christmas presents.
His mother also became a fan of the refuge after she was given a rescued Yorkshire terrier following the death of her own last year.
And other celebrities, including Heather McCartney, the eldest daughter of Beatle Paul and his late wife Linda, and British actress Jenny Seagrove, are supporting the campaign.
The refuge is home to one of Heather’s mother’s horses, so she is desperate to help.
She said: “It is a truly wonderful sanctuary where no living creature, wild or cared for, faces persecution.
“Some animals are battered, physically and mentally abused. Some have overwhelming scars that are too brutal to explain.
“I believe that no other sanctuary is able to care for them in the same skilful way, as Sara has painstakingly regained their trust over many years.
“My family has a long history of involvement in animal welfare. Never before have I witnessed such a unique sanctuary as The Horse Refuge.”
One of its famous residents is Duke, Europe’s tallest horse standing at around 6ft 7in.
But his future remains uncertain following problems with his leg.
Mrs Ross said: “I don’t know what’s going to happen to him. He has a critical leg problem so he is unable to travel.”
Other horse-lovers, including young entrepreneur Bhanu Choudhrie, director of C&C Alpha Group Ltd, has stepped in to help.
But Mrs Ross, who worked in Parliament for Lord Houghton of Sowerby before changing her career path, fears there is not enough time to raise all the funds.
“We’re trying to do all we can,” she said.
“It’s difficult to stay positive – last week I couldn’t even speak without breaking down – but we have to for the sake of the animals.”
The refuge is also home to ducks, geese, chicken, feral cats, donkeys, dogs, birds, and Louis Walsh the pig.
To donate visit www.thehorserefuge.org or call Mrs Ross on 01797 270555.
POSTED: 06/03/2010 10:00:00
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