Celebrating our volunteers

Volunteers’ Week is an annual celebration of the contribution millions of people make across the UK through volunteering in their communities.

At The Donkey Sanctuary, we have approximately 160 volunteers who each play an important role in supporting our work to improve the lives of donkeys and mules every day. From caring for our resident herds, welcoming visitors and supporting at events to working with our gardening and conservation teams, volunteers are our true champions.

We recently held our summer Volunteer Get Together at our Sidmouth sanctuary, which brought together many of our dedicated and passionate volunteers, where they enjoyed catching up and eating good food together.

They day was filled with sunshine, smiles and laughter and included presentations from our CEO Marianne Steele, as well as our Welfare and International Programmes and Partnerships teams.

Emma Wakeham, Volunteer Development Lead, said: “I know how lucky we are to have so many dedicated and passionate volunteers, but these events just make it even more apparent. 

“The chance to celebrate our volunteers, to sit and chat, share a meal and enjoy the day together is very special. The sense of a shared cause and the feeling of community is remarkable.”

Making a difference 

In 2024, our amazing volunteers gave us an incredible 11,000 hours. It wouldn’t be possible for us to continue our work without their generosity and support. 

To celebrate Volunteers’ Week, we caught up with some of our volunteers to hear about their stories and the positive impact they have made for donkeys over the past year.

Hedge laying heroes

Earlier this year, our incredible conservation volunteers joined the Ecology and Conservation team in undertaking a huge hedge laying project at our Brookfield, East Axnoller and Slade House farms.

The team were out in all weathers and conditions working on three different hedges, each needing specific management.

Across the farms, the hedge laying work not only helped habitat management, providing a thriving space for a range of species, but also supported our resident donkeys by providing shade, shelter and enrichment activities.

The hazel brash supplied by the hedge laying work was used by our Donkey Assisted Activities (DAA) team in their first visitor engagement activity of the year. Families were invited to create ‘trough hedges’ and ‘seasoned’ larger logs for the resident donkeys as an enrichment activity to help stimulate their senses and natural foraging behaviour.

This project highlights a fantastic collaboration between our volunteers and sanctuary teams and has spread awareness of the vital role hedgerows play in both conservation and animal welfare.

Going above and beyond

Sandy Simons has been a dedicated volunteer at The Donkey Sanctuary for over 10 years. Last summer, she went above and beyond to help protect our donkeys at Paccombe Farm from flies, by providing a cost-effective and practical solution for the farms herd.

In the summer months, insects such as flies can cause irritation to our donkeys, which can lead to extensive rubbing, in turn causing sores. At Paccombe Farm, our teams usually use boett rugs, similar to leotards, which are successful in protecting against flies – but they are extremely costly. 

When the team started using trousers to protect the donkey’s legs from flies, Sandy saw an opportunity to improve the design so that fit and effectiveness of the trousers worked for donkeys of all sizes. 

She started by designing a strap to help hold up the trousers on the donkey’s hind legs. However, when that didn’t work for the smaller donkeys, she spent more time designing a way for the rugs to hold the trousers in place.  

She also made fly fringes for the bottom of the trousers, which were particularly helpful for the taller donkeys. 

To improve her designs further, Sandy joined forces with our Head of Veterinary services, Marta Ferrari, using new ideas and materials that Marta had brought back from Italy. 

Toward the end of last year when the weather got cooler, Sandy rested her sowing skills and began redesigning duvets into under rugs for elderly and sick donkeys, to provide extra warmth. She also started repairing boots that could be used for lame donkeys. 

Sandy’s passion and commitment to the donkeys and the Paccombe team is remarkable and shines a light on the incredible work of our volunteers.

The power of friendship

Last year, volunteers Gill and Jackie supported a donkey named Dobbin at one of our Devon farms, when he was diagnosed with a tendon strain and moved to a private stable for rest and recovery, alongside his best friend Kitch. 

Gill and Jackie, who have an amazing 16 years of voluntary work between them, took a special interest in Dobbin’s recovery, providing lots of attention and grooming during the recovery period.

They also researched enrichment activities for Dobbin and Kitch to keep their minds sharp and engaged, as well as low sugar treats to ensure the pair weren’t having too many calories while living in the private stable. 

Groom Lisa Coles said: “These two special volunteers really went above and beyond, and we could clearly see how much of a difference they made to the quality of life of those donkeys while on box rest.” 

Thanks to the support of Gill and Jackie, Dobbin made a successful recovery and joined our oldies group, which suits his needs as it is a smaller herd with plenty of comfortable areas lined with rubber mats. 

Celebrating our volunteers

While our volunteers are instrumental to our work all year round, Volunteers’ Week is a fantastic opportunity to thank and acknowledge our wonderful team of volunteers and highlight the impact and difference they make to lives of donkeys every day. 

Emma added: “So many of our volunteers go above and beyond and we feel so lucky to have every single one of them. Please join us in thanking them and all they contribute.”