A SOMERSET animal rescue charity is appealing for support – as it is running out of HAY.

Rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming charity Ferne Animal Sanctuary has launched an urgent appeal to help replenish its depleting feed stocks.

The charity needs to raise £5,000 to purchase an additional 1,000 hay bales to restock reserves following “a particularly challenging summer and winter period”.

“The long dry summer reduced growing yields in the meadows at the sanctuary, followed by a wet winter where the land has been too soaked for grazing animals to stay in the fields,” a spokesperson said.

The weather has left the charity relying on its hay supplies for much longer period than usual, they said, leading to a long-term supply problem.

Nikki Haddock, animal care and estates manager at the sanctuary, said: “The mix of a long and dry summer followed immediately by a wet autumn and winter creates the most challenging conditions for our grazing animals.

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“Hot and dry weather stops the grass growing and when this is followed by prolonged wet conditions as we have had this autumn, natural grazing and foraging becomes impossible across two consecutive seasons.

“This pairing of conditions forced us to rely on supplementing natural grazing with hay much earlier than usual.

“This year, we began using hay in July, whereas we would normally wait until October or November, when the growing season naturally ends.

“Over the course of an average year we buy 2,000 bales of hay and this year our bill is around £10,000. This winter we have already used 1,000 bales and we need the additional 1,000 bales to take us through to the next harvest in late spring.

“This puts a huge pressure on our reserves, as we can’t leave the animals without basic nourishment.”

The charity said hay prices had more than doubled since January 2025, with many UK farmers reporting yields 50% lower than expected.

Nikki added: “We currently have over 106 animals who rely on hay for sustenance, including horses, cows, pigs, goats and guinea pigs.

“Please help to refill our barn and buy the forage our four-legged residents need over the coming months. Every single donation will make a difference and help keep those bellies full.”

Financial donations can be made via Ferne’s dedicated JustGiving page, at https://justgiving.com/campaign/helpfillthehaybarn, or donations of clean and untouched hay bales can be delivered directly to Ferne Animal Sanctuary, in Wambrook, Chard, TA20 3DH. To arrange a hay donation, contact info@ferneanimalsanctuary.org.

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