We wanted to say a HUGE thank you to the incredible Network for Animals who are kindly donating another £2,000 to Hugs. We are so grateful that this amazing organisation are supporting our charity and the vital work we do with both animals and humans. Please check out the amazing work this fantastic organisation do https://networkforanimals.org/

We are delighted to share that the Pencarrow Snowdrop weekend in February was a huge success with £2,000 kindly being donated to Hugs! Thank you so much to all that made the weekend such a lovely occasion. The below photo is the inspirational Lady Molesworth kindly donating the £2,000. Lady M (as she’s fondly known) did not stop all weekend, even in the rain! The weekend raised funds for both Hugs work and Pencarrow’s beautiful Victorian fountain that needs restoring. She truly is a wonderful woman and we were honoured to welcome her to Hugs.

Lady M lives at Pencarrow House which has been the friendly family home of the Molesworth-St.Aubyns for almost 500 years. The Molesworth-St Aubyns opened Pencarrow’s doors to the public in the 1970s welcoming families, history enthusiasts, nature lovers and of course dogs and their owners ever since. Tucked away on the edge of Bodmin Moor, the Cornish Georgian gem offers plenty to do for all, including families. They have a Grade 11 listed garden, Iron Age fort, children’s play area, café and gift shop. Pencarrow is also dog friendly and with 50 acres to explore there really is something for everyone, plus this time of year you can even have a guided tour of the house! It’s well worth a visit. Find out more by clicking on this link http://www.pencarrow.co.uk

Extremely sad news from Hugs. Kizzie came to Hugs in 2017 due to ongoing laminitis which was unable to be managed in her current home and the situation was incredibly unfair on poor lonely and sore Kizzie. Luckily and with the help of all those who sponsored her care and set up regular donations, Kizzie was able to be expertly managed and has spent the last 5 years here at the yard. 5 years of being pampered and loved.

Kizzie has worked with our youth service team so many people will recognise and remember her. We hope you will always remember her and the joy she brought you. We certainly will. Kizzie’s laminitis was able to be successfully managed by the use of our track systems. Which was so positive for this little unicorn!

Unfortunately Kizzie’s health had deteriorated dramatically over the last 6 months. She had ongoing arthritic changes in her legs, dental problems and had developed melanomas (big ones). These new health concerns plus the long term effects of the chronic laminitis has meant that we could no longer keep Whizz Kizz pain free and comfortable. She wasn’t happy, and we could see how exhausting these conditions were on her frail body. It’s never an easy decision to have one of our rescues put to sleep, it something we always discuss at lengths with our vets and staff.

Kizzie has had THE BEST years here at Hugs and she has spent the last week being able to frolic with her friends and eat to her hearts content.  Leap, jump, buck and fly high little whizzle’s. The bravest and sassiest little mare!  We will miss you and your talkative whinnie.

We are absolutely thrilled to announce that Hugs has been accepted onto the Human Equine Interaction Register UK! The register has been created to ensure all people involved in the field of human equine interactions operate credible, high quality, safe and ethical practice standards for their service provision.

There have been no regulations in the UK to protect both the equines that work in these sessions and the service users that go to organisations for help, leaving both equines and people at risk of further harm. Therefore, the formation of this register and a set of appropriate standards of governance, qualifications and welfare for both service users and equines, will offer assurance and advocacy for high standards so people can find the support and help as they deserve. We are incredibly proud to be accepted onto the register as it means we have demonstrated that we have both human and equine welfare at the heart of what we do and are a service that really does make a difference to lives.

Through the register, people can search for individuals and organisations who provide equine assisted or facilitated therapies including; physical therapies, psychotherapy, education, learning or coaching. The register will act as a helpful resource for service users to make informed choices. It will also enable service commissioners, funders, practitioners and anyone else wishing to find out more about equine assisted or facilitated programmes in the UK, to get the information they need and give people confidence in the services they are accessing. Find out more here https://hetifederation.org/heir-register/

We are delighted to announce that the wonderful Proper Cornish are fundraising for Hugs again. Their latest endeavor is two teams from Proper Cornish who are going to be taking part in the Lions Club of Bodmin’s Ten Tors Walk on Sunday 15th May. Read more and donate here https://www.justgiving.com/fundr…/propercornishtentors2022

Huge thank you is to the Norman Family Charitable Trust for donating £1,500 to support our youth well-being project, Hugs Helping Hands Find out more about this amazing organisation here https://nfct.org/