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Thornberry Animal Sanctuary has launched a ‘desperate’ appeal for volunteers to help in their charity shop as it suffers the effects of the rising energy bills.

The North Anston-based charity was forced to make a public announcement earlier this month stating due to staff and volunteer shortages they have been left only able to accept charity shop donations from Friday to Sunday for the foreseeable future.

This means they are having to scale back their operations and reduce their fundraising potential just as they need it most.

Pictured: One of Thornberry's animal care assistant, Hannah Armes.

On Facebook, the announcement read: “While we really appreciate every single donation that comes through our gates, we are simply unable to cope with the amount of workload that comes with it.

“Please be patient with our team during this time.

“We're incredibly frustrated that we've had to make this decision as your donations are the lifeblood of Thornberry, but we have to prioritise our staff's mental and physical wellbeing.

“We are desperate for volunteers in our retail team. No experience is needed, just an interest in supporting Thornberry as a charity.

Thornberry Animal Sanctuary are calling for more volunteers to help run their charity shop. Pictured: Thornberry’s Snowdon Challenge Team in 2021.

“As always, we are so grateful for your support, and we will update you once we're back up and running at full capacity.”

Clara Taylor, volunteer coordinator at Thornberry Animal Sanctuary, said: “Like many charities we are only too aware that we – along with many of the population – are going to be feeling the pinch as bills increase.

“We are currently at our busiest in terms of the animals in our care, with staff even taking animals home to foster so that we can accommodate more desperately needing our help.

“Both our cattery and kennels are currently nearing maximum capacity and we don't see this demand for our services dropping any time soon.

“We are proactively looking towards our fundraising team to find ways to raise the money we need.”

If you can offer your time, visit Thornberry Animal Sanctuary’s website to complete a volunteer form at: https://www.thornberryanimalsanctuary.org/volunteer/.

Alternatively, email [email protected] for an informal chat to learn more.

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Struggling animal sanctuary launches ‘desperate’ appeal for volunteers after being forced to scale back its fundraising