Equine Market Watch (Sanctuaries) UK Registered Charity 1114700Registered Address: REDLYNCH OLD ROAD BROMYARD HEREFORDSHIRE HR7 4AUSanctuary Address: LODORE FARM STONEHOUSE LANE BRINGSTY COMMON WORCESTERSHIRE WR6 5TGTrustees Annual Report April 5th, 2024, to April 4th, 2025.
Financial Year end 4th April 2024 Trustees serving Mr Bryan R Weaver, Mrs Siobhan A Lord, Ms Marysia Jozwik, Dr Lucy Wilkinson, Ms Samantha L Millward, Ms Elaine M Tasker. Mrs Winifred Ann Weaver (deceased 28th August 2024) Meetings held via Zoom/in person on daily to weekly basis/ secure social media messenger group chat/ official meetingsPolicies reviewed annually/bi-annually as requiredTreasurers: Elaine Tasker and Bryan WeaverTrustee serving period 3 years with re-election process at Annual General Meeting.Round table meeting protocol.2024 Annual general meeting Zoom and in person April 27th 2024. Trustees due to end period of service re-elected and seconded, and as above serving, into the next financial year.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT AND REPORTS General Overview Probably, and agreed by all Trustees, the most difficult and draining, saddest year of our being.In April, and with the charity now having its own transport once again, we began attending auctions, markets and other places of sale much more regularly. This bringing into sanctuary the aged Irish pony, from Worcester auction, in July 2024. Named Bertie on his passport his age was undetermined by certainly no less than early 20s. After rigorous health checks/vaccinations he was admitted to the Shetland ponies paddock and settled well. In September 2024, at Brecon auction, we were alerted to an aged Donkey mare, she was very shut down and showing signs of heavy worm burden and other welfare concerns. The charity intook her but luckily she was placed directly into a waiting pre-checked and excellent home where the charity covered her initial intake veterinary costs. The little Section A colt with our Wales Trustee was duly gelded and he will remain in her hands to be educated and become a useful working pony ahead giving him a lifetime opportunity.During the summer months a good hay crop was made and ensuring that our residents needs were fully met for the winter ahead. The crop was excellent both in volume and quality.The summer at the farm was very sombre, Trustee Ann sadly passing away at home on August 28th and leaving the farm a very empty place while Trustee Bryan came to terms with being a widower. Rightly so we closed our doors to visitors during this time of grief and changes that had to be made due to Ann s death.
The charity continued to raise funding for resident care through use of online auctions and limited visitor attendances and we also sold off some items of used tack/rugs that been donated at earlier times via Worcester horse auction.The death of Bertie pony barely 12 weeks after intake came as a shock to all volunteers and Trustees as he was doing so well and arriving in the afternoon to a pony in agony of twisted gut colic after leaving a completely healthy, happy one in the morning was hard to bear. Our wonderful vets were with us within minutes and ended his suffering gently and quietly and his body removed in due course. Whether their stay be long or short all residents get the best of care although non of us knows what may have happened to them in previous homes nor what is going on inside their bodies as they go into old age. Losing residents is always hard.On the evening of November 28th Trustees received devastating news regarding the security of the farm relating to the financial situation and with regard to personal problems relating to the owner. All this was of no fault whatsoever of the charity as Trustees had no knowledge of the issues relating to the farm. The knowledge that the farm may well rapidly end up in the hands of the bank was a huge shock. After a long discussion with the owner and also with the bank on the owner s behalf, an immediate appeal for funding help was launched and media sources used to let supporters know as much as we could release to them at that time. Generosity was overwhelming with a GoFundMe dedicated page raising in excess of 11,000 in less than 2 weeks and other amounts donated to bring in a grand total of over 21,000 towards what the future might hold. Unfortunately the sum required was close to 500,000 an impossible task.Trustees discussed the future of the charity and of the sanctuary ( our residents lives on the line! ) and what that could entail. Trustees also worked with National Equine Welfare Council keeping them informed and updated with regards to assistance should that have been needed. There were many times when the only option seemed to be the worse one as we came to terms with knowing our vulnerable old horses and ponies could not, and indeed should not, be put through an uncertain future away from the only home many had known for decades. That terrible option would have brought in our excellent vets and our disposal company and to have faced all residents being gently put to sleep on site, quietly and with no fuss, and then following on the dispersal of all the charities assets and financial balances in due course.
Thankfully in late November a rescue package came in the shape of benefactors (and at year end is ongoing but almost at the point of completion) What this meant for the charity was new owners of the farm benevolently keeping the sanctuary in place, with no changes to sanctuary running and also ensuring that we will never face such an uncertainty again. The funds raised for this crisis by the charity were then set-aside and the donators contacted to ask if they required their monies returned as the sanctuary now had a safety net. This will be further qualified once we have completion and at year end the funds remain held.Moving forward to the end of our financial year we are looking to use previous funding to replace rotten fencing and create a new isolation paddock as well as many other smaller but equally important upgrades of facilities long overdue.The charity continues to help with direct home-to-home rehoming of horses and ponies when asked to assist this way and also working with other agencies with regards to equine welfare issues locally and across the UK. We continue to work in auctions and markets.
SUMMING UP 2024 TO 2025 The most difficult and worrying year we have ever faced. A year with many losses of friends and colleagues, resident pony and several aged EMW ponies out on loan. Throughout the year we have maintained a steady income ensuring as always that we work within our financial ability and complying with necessary conditions of our governing body National Equine Welfare Council.