Target: Dave Hughes, Leader of Flintshire County Council, Flintshire, Wales
Goal: Provide emergency funding and support so a small volunteer-run sanctuary can build two winter shelters, secure hay at soaring prices, and keep more than 30 donkeys and horses safe through harsh weather.
A community sanctuary in Mancot cares for over 30 donkeys and horses alongside other animals. Volunteers describe soaring vet bills, drained winter funds, and urgent need for two new shelters for older donkeys before storms set in. A local builder has offered labour free of charge, yet materials still carry heavy costs. Hay prices are rising after a hot, dry summer, which forces early purchases or risky delays.
River Link operates on donations and volunteer pockets. The site also serves people who need calm spaces—hospital patients, veterans, young people in alternative education—because gentle animals help anxious minds settle. Losing shelter capacity would push fragile residents indoors without cover and put strain on a team already working nights, bottle-feeding and transporting animals for treatment.
Practical council help can steady this lifeline. An emergency grant for building materials and hay would land immediate impact. Fee relief, rapid liaison on any required permissions, and a public call for fosterers and volunteers would expand capacity. Council-backed promotion of the fundraiser can rally local businesses for matched gifts and donated supplies. This petition asks for swift, visible action that keeps working animals and therapy visitors safe through winter.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Mr. Hughes,
A small volunteer sanctuary in Mancot reports urgent need for two winter shelters for older donkeys, rising hay costs, and escalating vet bills. A local builder stands ready to donate labour. Materials and winter feed remain the hurdle. More than 30 equines depend on this care, and the sanctuary supports hospitals, veterans, and alternative education groups who benefit from calm, animal-centred visits.
We respectfully urge the Council to provide an emergency grant for shelter materials and early hay purchase, to fast-track any permissions or inspections tied to the build, and to offer temporary relief on applicable fees or charges. Please also help broker preferred rates with local vets for core procedures and medicines, and co-host a boroughwide appeal that recruits fosterers, sanctuary volunteers, and in-kind donors of timber, roofing, bedding, and feed.
Finally, we ask for Council amplification of the sanctuary’s fundraising efforts and a simple reporting framework so residents can see monthly intake, outcomes, and spend. Quick support will keep older donkeys warm and dry, protect volunteer capacity, and preserve a community service that helps both animals and people.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Di.zupan
