Hay and Straw Appeal

Hay and straw prices have risen due to the summer drought

 We need your support more than ever!

This summer saw the worst drought we have experienced since we started the sanctuary. With less grass available than previous years, hay has been in short supply and prices continue to rise. As we look towards 6 months of winter weather, we need your help to make sure all our residents have enough food and bedding.

From the end of October until April 2027, most of our residents come indoors to rest the pasture. 


To ensure we have adequate hay and straw bales for the winter, we need to raise a total of £10,000. Thankfully, now that we have our big new barn, we can store larger hay bales for the cows, which works out cheaper, helping us stretch every donation further. 


We will continue to purchase small bales for the rest of our residents. Lighter in weight, these are much easier for our volunteers to handle and transport by hand, as we don’t yet have the equipment required to move large bales (we will fundraise next year for a tractor or forklift!)  

The larger bales will save us some money, but they also mean more hard work for our volunteers, who will need to break them down into manageable amounts to feed the cows. We’re more than happy to put in the extra work if it means making your donations go further. 

How you can help

  • Donate directly to the Hay & Straw Fundraiser - every donation, no matter the size, helps.

  • Set up a monthly donation for Hay & Straw - regular support like this gives us the security of knowing that we can keep buying food and bedding throughout the winter.

  • Set up your own fundraiser and ask friends, family and colleagues to donate towards your goal. For example, last year one of our volunteers, Penny, shaved off her hair and managed to raise just short of £3,000. We also received a £3,000 grant from Animal Friends Insurance which helped us meet our winter goal. But this year, we are starting at zero and need your help.  

We know we ask a lot of our supporters, but once again, we really can’t do this without you. Your donations mean that all our animals stay warm and well fed throughout the long winter.

Thank you as always for your support. 

The Surge Sanctuary Team and Residents