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We currently have over 100 rescue animals in our care and each of these live with us as part of our family in our home which is a very old building that used to be both a school and a church in West Sussex.

 

Obviously this requires a lot of funding and we create this by bringing a selection of the animals out to different types of settings, celebrations, workshops and events.

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We have both always had a passion for unloved and unwanted animals and wanted to help those who fell through the cracks. There has always been a lot of rescue centres focusing on cats + dogs so we wanted to give our time and attention to the mammals and reptiles that, through no fault of their own, need a forever home. When we started this journey it was never meant to be a full time lifestyle - we were both in very different careers ( Mark was an Art Director and Jerry a Special Needs Teacher) but as we waded deeper into the area of rescue it soon became clear we were heading down a new path together. 

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We officially started offering encounter in 2015 but had been rescuing animals for a long time before this - the workshops were just a natural progression and a way to fund the endless vet trips and specialist diets.

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Caring for animals

Caring for such a large menagerie is a huge amount of work which means no time off, holidays or social life - the animals become your life and take up every inch of it but honestly we wouldn't have it any other way (although a holiday does sound lovely!).

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For us there are no shortcuts or easy solutions. We choose to hand build the majority of our enclosures or convert old pieces of furniture to give each creature a unique environment to inspire a full and enriched time with us.