Appeal launched to help raise £40k for wildlife rescue charity

Trent Park’s Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service has been hit by rising costs and falling visitor numbers, reports James Cracknell

Wildlife Rescue and Animal Service in Trent Park and (inset) an injured fox rescued by the charity

A long-running wildlife rescue charity in Trent Park is appealing for help raising £40,000 as it struggles to cover its costs.

Wildlife Rescue and Animal Service (WRAS) has been caring for sick, injured and orphaned animals – ranging from herons and owls to foxes, hedgehogs and deer – for more than four decades.

But thanks to rising costs and declining visitors, the charity is currently losing thousands of pounds per month and may not be able to continue beyond next spring if the situation doesn’t significantly improve.

WRAS was founded in 1985 by Barry and June Smitherman, who still run it today with help from daughter Diane. Both Barry and June were made MBEs in 2005 for services to wildlife.

Barry told the Dispatch: “Everything has gone up in price; animal feed, rubbish removal, wages. We are getting fewer visitors as well, and the number of people giving donations has dropped.

“Each month the bank balance is dropping, so we need to act before it is too late.”

The charity employs four staff in total. Barry says its now costs around £12,000 per month to keep the wildlife rescue centre running, but “our income is now only about half of that”.

If the winter hits particularly hard, with poor weather leading to a further decline in visitors, the charity could run out of money by spring.

A Go Fund Me page launched earlier this month has so far raised £1,220 but much more is needed.

Barry said: “There is no way to reduce out costs, we can’t lay off staff. The appeal is to build a nest egg and help us through the winter.”

Those animals that can be returned to the wild after being looked after by WRAS are, while those that can never be returned to the wild become long-term residents at the animal centre in Trent Park.

Five years ago, when the Dispatch named Barry and June as ‘Enfield Community Heroes‘, Barry said that the charity was receiving calls from a wide area of London and Hertfordshire and that the rescue centre was “always running at full capacity”.

However, the difficult financial situation now means that WRAS cannot afford to carry out as many wildlife rescues.

Donate to WRAS’s fundraising appeal:
Visit gofundme.com/f/please-help-save-the-trent-park-animal-centre

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