Burnley animal welfare charity closes doors in response to Tier 3 announcement

Burnley equine charity HAPPA has closed it doors to visitors as a precautionary measure in response to tighter Covid restrictions being announced in Lancashire.
HAPPA relies heavily on the support of visitors to its Shores Hey Farm centreHAPPA relies heavily on the support of visitors to its Shores Hey Farm centre
HAPPA relies heavily on the support of visitors to its Shores Hey Farm centre

Shores Hey Farm, which has been the charity’s base for over 36 years, is currently home to 50 rescued horses and ponies.

HAPPA relies heavily on the support of visitors to its centre to raise much needed income to continue its work investigating cruelty and neglect.

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Vsitor numbers have reduced drastically since re-opening in July.

Sarah Arthur, HAPPA’s Chief Officer, explains “Shores Hey Farm re-opened to the public in July and the team have enjoyed welcoming supporters, friends and families alike back to the Farm to support the work that we do.

"However, as measures have changed, and the risk in Burnley of the spread of coronavirus increased, the only responsible thing to do now is to close our doors to visitors. Doing so will ensure we are doing our upmost to protect our dedicated staff, volunteers, local residents and loyal supporters.

"I would like to reassure all our supporters and friends that the charity will continue to investigate cruelty and neglect and will maintain exemplary standards of care to all resident equines. We hope to safely re-open our doors as soon as we can, but, as yet we just don’t know when that will be.

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The rescue centre’s welfare costs are in excess of £20,000 per week. Funds raised through visitors to the farm make up a huge portion of the charity’s income.

HAPPA is now asking people to engage with online fund-raising by sharing content or offering a 'Forever Home' to a HAPPA horse or pony.

Sarah added: "Over the coming weeks the charity will be as active as ever on websites and social media accounts, I would personally encourage as many members of the public to follow, share or donate to help us get through these challenging times, especially with the farm now closed. HAPPA still needs your support.”

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