Have you ever seen a pig snuggle into a warm bed of straw, or a cow enjoy tucking into a pile of fresh hay?

That’s exactly what Billy, a blind pig saved from extreme neglect, and Bobby Sprinkles, a 6ft tall rescue cow, need at Dean Farm Trust, an animal sanctuary and charity just outside Chepstow. Saved from neglect, abandonment, exploitation, and abuse, Dean Farm Trust provides a Home for Life for animals in desperate need, including 26 pigs, 14 donkeys and ponies, four goats, and over 100 chickens!

However, in the midst of winter, the sanctuary is facing one of its toughest challenges yet. Winter means a huge increase in hay, straw, bedding, feed, and emergency veterinary care which is placing immense and unsustainable pressure on the charity’s resources. Last winter, the price of hay and straw alone was £6,000, and veterinary bills reached a staggering £7,500! With costs expected to rise even more this year, the sanctuary needs urgent help to ensure their residents can be cared for during the cold months.

“Our ability to look after our animals depends entirely on our supporters, but we’re sadly seeing a lot of cancellations in monthly donations, which is really worrying,” says sanctuary founder Mary Frankland. “This winter, we’re asking everyone who loves animals to help us. Just £1 a month could make a huge difference to our animals, if everyone shared our plea and chipped in”.

The charity is desperately calling on all animal lovers to support their Winter Appeal, which was recently launched to ensure the animals feed, bedding, and medical care can be provided. However, despite being launched over three months ago, their appeal has only raised £1000 to date. Without help from the public and increased donations, the sanctuary and its beloved rescues are left in an incredibly vulnerable position, facing the harsh reality of diminishing resources during the toughest time of the year.

Please help Billy, Bobby Sprinkles, and their friends stay safe this winter by donating to their Winter Appeal at https://app.donorfy.com/form/FKO3EB5M34/MDXFQ. Follow Dean Farm Trusts journey and see the difference your support makes on Instagram (@dean_farm_trust) and Facebook (/deanfarmtrust.org.uk).