This is an URGENT plea for help. We need YOU to help us keep the sanctuary open and the animals safe.

Lotus Sanctuary is a very special place to our animals and volunteers alike and we desperately need you to help us get through the depths of winter. After the hottest summer on record we have had to feed the animals all the hay from our winter store. Because of the heat though, hay prices have skyrocketed, and our recent move to a new home, plus surprise emergency vet bills, have piled on the pressure.

Hayley, the sanctuary owner, is a resiliant and selfless woman, but after losing a few of the flock recently to old age and illness, the task of keeping the sanctuary open is becoming increasingly difficult.

We need to raise £15,000 by early December to keep our barns open. We know £15,000 sounds like a lot, but:

£8.50 pays for a mud mat

£20 pays for two bays of hay

£100 helps cover the weekly vet bills.

Please support us in any way you can. No donation is too small, and if you can't donate then sharing this appeal helps us reach so many more people.

As a gesture of gratitude, our friends at Hiriwa Digital Art holding a series of thank-you prize draws for those who contribute:

1) Every £10 donated through this GoFundMe page counts as one entry into the draw.

2) Whenever the fundraiser reaches another £1,000 milestone, one supporter will be selected at random to receive a prize.

3) Each winner can choose their prize — either a pet portrait gift voucher or a fine art print from our "Reverence" collection — with prizes shipped worldwide.

Entries are automatic for all named donors, and participation is entirely optional — your contribution helps whether or not you choose to be included in the draw.

Thank you for helping us keep helping them.