AN ANIMAL charity has announced the closure of its south Warwickshire site due to rising costs.
Redwings Horse Sanctuary has shut its centre at Oxhill, along with Redwings Mountains in Scotland.
The decision follows a consultation with 33 staff at the two locations. Those affected have been made redundant.
More than 100 rescued horses and donkeys have now been relocated to the charity’s sites in Norfolk.
Redwings Oxhill has been operating as a visitor centre for almost 20 years and Redwings Mountains became part of the Redwings family following a merger in 2015.
Redwings is one of the largest equine welfare charities in the UK with more than 1,000 rescued horses, ponies and donkeys in its sanctuary care and over 700 more living out in off-site homes. The charity began in Norfolk, where it has its head office, several large sanctuary sites and two visitor centres, with another near Harlow in Essex.
Chief executive Lynn Cutress blamed rising costs and a difficult financial landscape over the last four years for the closures.
She said: “Neither of these centres took in rescue cases directly and so the closure of these sites does not affect our ability to rescue horses from anywhere in the country, as we have always done. Redwings will continue to help horses in need, wherever and whenever we can. However, closing the centres will save vital and significant operating costs long-term, allowing us to secure the future of the 1000+ rescued horses in our Sanctuary care who rely on us every day.
“Businesses and charities across the country are struggling severely – Redwings is certainly not alone. Costs have risen exponentially over the last few years, and we have needed to use our savings, known as reserves, for the past four years to fill the gap between our income and expenditure, which is something we knew was not sustainable in the long term.
“We have been in a period of financial review for nearly two years, including seeking specialist external advice, and although we always hoped it would not be necessary to make such major changes, with the economic climate as it is and fluctuating almost daily, our Board of Trustees simply had no choice.”
