Brockswood

21/06/2026

With temperatures set to climb and heat warnings issued over the coming days, we’ve made the decision to CLOSE the sanctuary and Brockswood Dog Run for the first part of next week.

While we know this may be disappointing for those who were planning a visit, the welfare of our residents always has to come first.

Some of the animals cope brilliantly with hot weather, while others find it much more challenging. Closing will allow our small team to focus all of our attention where it’s needed most: topping up pools and water bowls, providing extra cooling and enrichment, monitoring everyone closely, and making sure each resident stays as comfortable and safe as possible.

We’ll also be keeping a close eye on each other. Animal care doesn’t stop when the temperatures rise, and looking after the people caring for the animals is important too!

For the same reason, we’ve taken the decision to close the dog run during this period. We know how much many dogs love a run around, but we’d much rather see them enjoying a shady nap at home than risking getting into difficulties in the heat.

We hope you’ll understand our decision and support us in putting welfare first.

We’ll keep sharing updates from behind the scenes so you can see how everyone is getting on, and in the meantime, please take care of yourselves, your animal friends, and anyone who might be struggling in the heat.

Thank you, as always, for your support 💚

09/06/2026

We had gotten word that one of our wonderful supporters, James, has been inspired by Nathan’s recent fundraiser and charity walk in aid of Freya and Toby’s new enclosure and decided to also fundraise for the new fox enclosure!

James, who is 8, has decided that everyday for 50 days he will do an act of kindness in order to raise funds for Freya and Toby. We are blown away by his generosity and cannot think of a better way to raise funds than show the world and the people in it some kindness. If you would like to follow along and support James, please do give his page a follow, we know this would mean so much to him and we cannot wait to see how many other people he inspires to perform an act of kindness.

James’s Super Fun Page for Helping Animals

Thank you James from all of us here at Brockswood!🦊

Hi! My name is James and I am fundraising for Freya and Toby’s new home. … Helen Perry needs your support for Freya and Toby Get a New Bigger and Better Home!

08/06/2026

Today (Monday 8th June) we will be closing early from 1pm for essential maintenance. Due to this, last admissions will be at 11:45.

We apologise for the short notice and thank you all for your understanding and cooperation during this time.

We will be back open with normal hours tomorrow (Tuesday 9th June).

06/06/2026

It’s , and there simply aren’t enough words to truly express how grateful we are for every single person who gives their time to help us here at Brockswood.

Through muddy days, hard days, busy days, building projects, animal care, heatwaves, repairs, cleaning, gardening, feeding, fundraising, fixing things, and the hundreds of unseen jobs in between… these generous people have continued to show up for the animals, and for us.

Some volunteer every single week. Some help behind the scenes. Some join us for one-off days. Some bring specialist skills, and some simply bring a willingness to get stuck in and so much kindness. Every single contribution matters more than you probably realise!

Even this very post was helped along by an amazing volunteer, who kindly created the graphic we’re sharing today 💚

So to every volunteer, past and present, thank you. Thank you for the time you give, the support you show, the laughs you bring on difficult days, and for caring so deeply about the residents who call Brockswood home.

Seeing the community come together for the animals this year has been incredibly special. Thank you all!

27/05/2026

We might usually be closed on Wednesdays, but not today! ☀️💚

Our residents are taking things nice and slowly in the shade during this very warm weather, with lots of extra cooling treats, fresh water, and careful monitoring from the team throughout the day.

Hermione certainly isn’t complaining… this morning’s breakfast came with delicious chilled watermelon to help keep her cool 🍉🐷 Safe to say it went down very well!

If you do visit today, why not be like Hermione and cool down with one of our fruity smoothies from the coffee shop too? Perfect sanctuary wandering fuel in this weather 🍓🫐🥭

See you soon and don’t forget your sunscreen!

26/05/2026

Well… you all kept asking, so we’ve made a little change this week!

Although Wednesdays are normally our closed workday here at Brockswood, we’ve had so many messages asking if we’ll be open during the hot weather that we’ve decided to open tomorrow after all!

Please do bear in mind that with temperatures expected to remain very high, many of our residents may choose to relax in shaded areas or take things very slowly throughout the day.

Our team will also be focusing heavily on welfare tasks, extra water checks, shade management, and keeping everybody safe and comfortable in the heat.

If you do visit:
💦 Be like Ollie here and stay hydrated!
🌳 Take breaks in the shade
🐶 Consider whether your dog is best staying home in the cool
🚗 Never leave animals in cars
☀️ Be prepared for a slower-paced sanctuary day

We really appreciate everyone’s support and understanding, especially during weather like this.

Stay safe and we’ll see you soon.

25/05/2026

When temperatures soar like this, the daily routine changes a little here ☀️

This morning has been all about keeping everyone as cool and comfortable as possible, with extra water checks, shade access, cooling measures, and moving some of our animals into shadier areas to help them cope with the heat.

Just like us, animals can really struggle in extreme temperatures, so days like today become all about welfare first 💚

Stay cool everyone!

25/05/2026

We are open today! It’s set to be an incredibly hot one, so our focus will very much be on keeping both our residents and team safe and comfortable in the heat ☀️

You may notice some of the animals choosing to rest in shaded areas rather than being as active as usual, and our team may be moving a little slower while we prioritise welfare jobs, hydration, shade checks, cooling measures, and extra monitoring throughout the day. As well as looking out for each other.

A gentle reminder too that while sunny weather can be wonderful (we’re certainly ready for it after that winter!), temperatures like this can quickly become dangerous for animals. Please make sure your pets have access to shade and plenty of water, avoid hot pavements, and consider whether long walks or energetic exercise are really necessary today.

We know many of you enjoy visiting with your dogs, but honestly, with temperatures expected to reach around 33°C, we’d encourage most dogs to stay home in the cool today unless absolutely necessary. We’ve seen heatstroke happen frighteningly fast!

Meanwhile our residents will be enjoying fresh cool water, cooling treats and enrichment, and permission to be gloriously lazy for the day 😴

Stay safe, stay cool, and thank you as always for supporting us through every kind of weather 💚

24/05/2026

It’s bank holiday Monday tomorrow and we’re very happy to say WE ARE OPEN!

It’s going to be another lovely day with the sun shining so do please remember to pack your hat and sun cream if you’re visiting us.
Many of our rescued residents love the sun and love meeting you all too, but with temperatures expected to reach 30 degrees tomorrow please be mindful some of them may choose to shelter away from the heat in their shelters, which we are sure you’ll all understand. As always, our team will be ensuring they are all as cool as can be during the heat providing mud baths, showers and frozen bottles for those that need them.

We also have the wonderful ‘Glitter Goblin’ joining us for the day providing some wonderful face painting (please note there is a separate charge for this) 🎨

We look forward to seeing you all very soon!

21/05/2026

It was a very busy and exciting day here at the sanctuary today as we moved our peafowl, Aladdin, Jasmine and Dalia, back into their aviary. As many of you know, we were hit very hard by storm goretti earlier in the year, losing several of our enclosures and aviaries, the peafowl aviary being one of them.

The peafowl aviary is the first to be completed and during this time we have had lots of volunteers in helping with deep cleans, clearing away old materials and perches, bringing in new perches, substrates and plants. We cannot thank everyone enough for all of their help with not only the rebuilding of the aviary, but also for all the hours of manual labour moving several wheelbarrows of soil, chippings, logs and branches. We have been blown away by the continued support from our lovely community and have gained some wonderful regular volunteers as a result!

We cannot wait to get started on completing our duck aviary next and will of course keep you updated with its progress.

As always, we could not do the important work that we do without your support and we are so grateful for our fantastic community. Do stop by and see them in their newly refurbished aviary when you next visit us, they love to see you all, especially Aladdin who enjoys showing off that gorgeous display to anyone who will look! 🦚