Hi! I’m Olympia and in 3 months I’m going to be competing in the Snowdon 24 hour challenge, where I’ll have to trek up and down Snowdon as many times as I can in 24 hours. This is a huge challenge and something I haven’t done anything close to before, and I wanted to use the experience to raise funds and awareness to the River Link Donkey and Animal Sanctuary near me.

I found out about River Link through my local search, and after visiting and speaking to one of the owners, I was both in awe and shocked at the work that went into running and maintaining the sanctuary.

Some of the animals they have helped include ex-racing horses, donkeys from the Beeston meat trade, and animals rescued from abandonment. River Link’s work extends to community based care as well, with addiction groups and war veteran services being provided.

What shocked me was actually seeing and understanding how much work goes into running a rehabilitation sanctuary like theirs, and that their work is fully voluntary and mostly self-funded. The care, love and time they put into their animals was clear the moment I stepped into the sanctuary, and left me feeling so hopeful for what I could be contributing to.

In times such as now, however, keeping things running from their own pockets is proving tough, and with vet bills and product costs increasing, and a large portion of the animals’ grazing land being lost to the CO2 pipeline running underneath, I’m all the more determined and inspired to raise some money to support not only the animals there, but the volunteers who work tirelessly day in day out.

100% of the funds we raise here will be sent straight to the River Link sanctuary, who will use it towards vet bills, bedding, food, and building new shelters for the donkeys and horses. A large hay bale for their animals costs £60 for the week alone, so the more donations we can get, the better. With that in mind however, any donation, no matter how small, is incredibly appreciated. Even though I’m slightly dreading scaling Snowdon more times than I have to, it fills me with confidence knowing that it’s for a great cause.

Thank you!