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Camposol volunteers raise €1,000 for Hugo's Home Farm animal rescue
Local volunteers organised raffles and table top sales to support rescue centre caring for horses, alpacas and more
Sometimes the best ideas come from the most unlikely places. For Roberta Gillen, Karen Mathews, Julie Brockbank and Lisa Morris, inspiration struck whilst they were doing something most people would rather avoid: cleaning up animal poop at Hugo's Home Farm.
The four friends meet up to help out on Mondays and it was during one of their clean-up sessions that Roberta had a thought. Why not turn their volunteering efforts into something that could raise money for the animals they were helping?
Roberta mentioned her fundraising idea to Carolyn May, her Dancercise teacher, who kindly offered to let them hold a raffle at one of her music events at Mariano's on Sector A Camposol. That initial raffle brought in €340, which was already a fantastic result.But the group didn't stop there. They organised a table top sale with crafts, a tombola and a secret raffle with a really special prize of a two night stay for four people at the farm itself.
When Judy Carter's name was drawn as the winner of that wonderful prize, it added another €640 to the pot.When the results were published on the volunteer's page, a generous soul stepped forward and offered to make up the difference, allowing the group to present Hugo's Home Farm with a grand total of €1,000.
About Hugo's Home Farm
Hugo's Home Farm has been set up primarily as a rescue centre by Helping Coco Horse Rescue, a registered charity here in Spain. Their mission is to rescue abused, neglected or abandoned equines in the Alicante and Murcia areas, giving them a second chance at life.
The smallholding is licensed for up to nine equines. Animals are rescued, carefully rehabilitated and then put on the re-homing programme in the UK. With such limited spaces available, getting horses re-homed is absolutely crucial for the centre to keep helping more animals in need.
Colin, the founder of the charity, set up the centre and has added a few more animals along the way. During a visit you might come across chickens, ducks, lovebirds, peacocks, micro pigs, pygmy goats, alpacas, donkeys, ponies and of course, horses.Between caring for the equines, vet and farrier bills and UK transport fees for re-homing, the costs quickly add up. To help with the ongoing expenses, Colin decided to add other animals to create a small petting corner for younger visitors, plus the chance to walk alpacas, which has proved incredibly popular.
The rescue centre is still very much a work in progress, but it has opened its doors to the public. There's no entrance fee, it works on a donation basis, which means every penny of that €1,000 raised by Roberta and her friends will go directly towards caring for the animals.
Fancy a visit?
If you'd like to see Hugo's Home Farm for yourself, they're open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11am to 2pm. There's no need to reserve, just drop them a message beforehand if you'd like.
You can find more information on their Facebook page or visit their website at www.hugoshomefarm.com. If you're interested in organising a coach trip, you can contact Laura on +44 7850 551984.
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