Support The Surge Sanctuary this March and Help Provide a Forever Home for Animals in Need 

The Surge Sanctuary is one of the charities aiming to secure the support of the public this March in our charity poll, with the hope of winning 20% of My Favourite Voucher Codes profits. The Surge Sanctuary is an animal sanctuary that offers a lifelong home to animals who have been rescued from the farming industry. They care for a range of animals including goats, pigs, sheep, cows and chickens to name a few, and house over 150 residents!  Find out more about this incredible charity below, and see if Surge Sanctuary gets your vote!

What Is The Surge Sanctuary?

The Surge Sanctuary is an animal sanctuary located on an 18 acre site in the rural Midlands of England. The sanctuary officially opened its doors in late 2019, but a few familiar faces were already living their lives in the care and safety of the sanctuary manager's home. Eric, Pete, Gus, Harold and Frederick were all given a special home back when The Surge Sanctuary was still just a dream. The horrific start to life that each of these amazing individuals had been through spurred us on, and the determination to open a sanctuary was even greater.

How Did The Surge Sanctuary Begin? 

So, a small team, which included Earthling Ed, successfully opened the vegan restaurant, Unity Diner, with the aim to eventually be able to generate enough funds to open and maintain an animal sanctuary. After months of searching, the perfect location was finally found, with several members of the team and their family selling their own home, and relocating, ready to spend the rest of their lives caring for the residents of The Surge Sanctuary. Although it is still early days, the sanctuary is already home to over 150 residents - a reflection on how sparse and desperately needed sanctuary spaces are for these animals that society thoughtlessly exploits and rejects.

What Does The Surge Sanctuary Do? 

The mission of The Surge Sanctuary is to offer a lifelong, no-kill, safe haven and forever home to abused and unwanted animals who have been victim to the farming industry. The residents include a variety of animals such as pigs, sheep, goats, cows, chickens and turkeys; all with their own unique personalities. Each resident gets the chance to finally be able to exhibit their natural behaviours, experience love and compassion, and live a life free from fear. There are a lot of costs that come with running a sanctuary and each day is somewhat unpredictable as many of the animals that live at the sanctuary have been genetically modified and often mistreated, which means that they are more susceptible to illness. Vet bills can quickly run into the thousands and there is never a month that passes where there hasn’t been a vet visit or treatment needed. Another big cost is the food and bedding for each of the residents - there is the specialised feed for each species, hay and also straw for bedding, which in the winter months goes down a lot quicker as everyone’s bed is made extra cosy! There are also general maintenance costs, such as replacing fencing and installing drainage.

The Story of Paul and Roo

One pair of individuals that were rescued soon after opening their doors in the Midlands were Paul & Roo; two male calves born into the dairy industry. These lucky fellas were due to be killed as they don’t produce milk and so were viewed as surplus to requirements. Fortunately, along with 18 other calves, the farmer agreed to spare their lives and for them to be rehomed instead. Arriving with them at just one week old they had a challenging start at their new home, dealing with life threatening issues such as bloat which required fast intervention and veterinary attention. Mercifully, they pulled through and are now loving life living with a herd of dairy cows that looked out for the boys as they grew up. Now, at 2 years old they are big and healthy boys that are not yet larger than the older the girls, but it’s likely only a matter of time as they are still growing.

One incredibly inspiring story that you may have heard of, after she hit the mainstream media following her self-liberation, is that of Matilda the pig. Matilda was on a farm in Ollerton and heavily pregnant when she decided to escape in order to give birth to 9 piglets in the safety of a nearby woods. After discovering them in the woods and given the nickname the ‘Ollerton 11’ (a miscount, which is easily done!), members of the public alerted Brinsley Animal Rescue who had planned to rescue them. While they were preparing for the rescue, the farmer managed to round them up and take them back. After a public pressure campaign that included a petition with 5,000 signatures the farmer agreed to let Brinsley take them to safety. Following a short stay at Brinsley, during which they managed to remove Matilda’s nose ring, and sadly one piglet passed away, they moved a short distance to The Surge Sanctuary to live out the rest of their lives. The piglets are now about the same size as mum and all love the freedom they have to run in the field, root (dig-up) the ground, snuggle in a straw bed, or fight over fresh treats.

How to Support The Surge Sanctuary

Running a sanctuary takes a lot of time, volunteers and money to keep everyone happy, healthy and safe. If you want to find out more about the sanctuary and its residents you can find them on social media or take a look at their website:

instagram.com/thesurgesanctuary

facebook.com/thesurgesanctuary

Surgesanctuary.org

The best way to support the ongoing efforts of the sanctuary is by making either a one-off or monthly donation at https://donorbox.org/surge-sanctuary. There is also currently a fundraiser running to raise funds for the new barn that the sanctuary desperately needs, you can find out more and donate here: https://donorbox.org/barn-fundraiser. You can also support The Surge Sanctuary by voting in the March poll for free!

The generous donations they receive all go towards the ongoing care of the individuals that are lucky enough to have a home here at the sanctuary, as well as future rescue efforts. They’re just at the very start of their journey and are so excited for what the future holds and the lives that they can save!

To vote for The Surge Sanctuary today, simply head over to our Homepage and cast your free vote. Don’t forget to share the poll with friends, family and colleagues, to drum up as many votes as possible for this amazing animal safe haven.