On Thursday 4th December 2025, we completed the purchase of Manor Orchard Farm as the permanent base for The Farm Animal Sanctuary. It’s been a long road – navigating Covid, the cost-of-living crisis, the theft of our ATV and countless other hurdles – but we made it.
We did this thanks to everyone who donated to our fundraising appeal. Every single penny made a difference. We want to thank every individual, company, trust and foundation who supported us. We couldn’t have achieved it without you all coming together for the animals.
Next year, in midsummer, we will host an open day for all our donors to come and see what their support has achieved.
Owning the premises gives our animals the security of a lifetime home, but it also brings new responsibilities. We will have increased costs in the short term, including insuring all the buildings and carrying out much-needed repairs on parts of the property. We also need new pig fencing for our ever-growing drove of pigs!
We’re also strengthening the team behind the scenes. We’re recruiting new trustees to the board with the skills, time and talent to ensure the charity acts in accordance with Charity Commission legislation, the new Charity Governance Code and fundraising regulations. We’re delighted to have two excellent candidates currently under consideration and look forward to announcing this soon.
Louise and Steph will continue to run the day-to-day operations of The Farm Animal Sanctuary with their usual professionalism and care, assisted by our small team and loyal band of volunteers.
Now that our capital appeal is complete, we can focus all our attention on core funding. Costs always seem to rise quicker than income, and despite the best planning, we have points in the year, usually over winter, when finances are stretched to the limit.
We had an incredible festive weekend at our Christmas Festive Fair. From the moment our gates swung open at 3pm, you kept coming – nearly 350 supporters joined us to celebrate the festivities!
Your support and all the lovely comments about how wonderful the sanctuary looked truly overwhelmed us.
We’ve put in a lot of effort over the past few weeks, and there were times we felt like there just weren’t enough hours in the day – but we made it happen.
A massive thank you to all the dedicated staff and everyone who helped us prepare for Christmas, and a special shoutout to our main man Lewis, who we all cheer for when the lights go out. 
Santa, thank you for making the long trip to see us!
That was our final event for 2025, and we definitely wrapped up the year on a high note.
The sheep are happily tucked into their winter accommodation – cosy in the barns, out of the cold and wet, munching their way through our supply of hay.
Winter is always challenging with fewer daylight hours and a seemingly never-ending list of jobs to do, but it’s worth it to see everyone content and comfortable as they should be
Shortly after the sheep came in, the cows followed.
They knew exactly where they were going and happily made their way into the comfort of the barns.
They quickly found the fruit and veggies and once they’d devoured them, moved onto the hay before settling down for a nap in their cosy straw beds.
While we love letting everyone out onto fresh pastures in spring when the sun starts to shine again, it’s equally satisfying seeing them come in for winter – warm, dry and out of the elements.
We’ve received a wonderful donation of fresh-cut Christmas trees from The Valley, Evesham!
Our adorable rescue goats were absolutely thrilled – they eagerly dove into munching on them. We can guarantee they’ll be thoroughly enjoyed!
We’ve also decided to offer free handwashing services – the cows are very good at it.
Almost professional, in fact.
Thank you once again for all your support. We couldn’t do what we do without each and every one of you.
We would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
We look forward to welcoming you to Manor Orchard Farm in 2026! 🎄
They’re finally here! Our 2026 Farm Calendars are now on sale – filled with beautiful photos of our much-loved rescue animals, captured in their happiest, cheekiest and most heart-warming moments.
Each month tells a little story of sanctuary life, and every calendar sold helps us care for the 600+ animals who call The Farm home. It’s the perfect gift for animal lovers, or a lovely way to bring a touch of the sanctuary into your own home all year round.
We also have a delightful range of Farm Christmas Cards, each one featuring our rescue residents in festive style.
👉 Order your 2026 Calendar or Christmas Cards here
(Or pop by the sanctuary shop to pick yours up in person!)
Every purchase supports our rescue work and brings us one step closer to securing the Farm’s forever home.
