Two of Redwings’ visitor centres are to close and 33 staff were made redundant on an “incredibly sad day”.
The equine welfare charity announced in February that it had started a consultation into the potential closure of its centres in Oxhill, Warwickshire, and Forfar, Angus, owing to financial pressures. Today (30 March), Redwings confirmed that both were closed with immediate effect and that the 21 Oxhill and 12 Forfar staff had been made redundant.
Redwings CEO Lynn Cutress said: “This is an incredibly sad day for the charity. All the affected staff have been offered wellbeing support and help to find alternative employment wherever possible. I would like to personally thank them all most sincerely for their hard work and dedication to Redwings.
“Neither of these centres took in rescue cases directly so the closures do not affect our ability to rescue horses from anywhere in the country, as we have always done. Redwings will continue to help horses in need, wherever and whenever we can. However, closing the centres will save vital and significant operating costs long-term, allowing us to secure the future of the 1,000+ rescued horses in our sanctuary care who rely on us every day.”
All the horses and donkeys at the two sites will be moved to Redwings’ Norfolk sites; its visitor centres in Norfolk and Essex are open as usual.
“Businesses and charities across the country are struggling severely – Redwings is certainly not alone,” Ms Cutress said. “Costs have risen exponentially over the last few years and we have needed to use our savings, known as reserves, for the past four years to fill the gap between our income and expenditure, which is something we knew was not sustainable in the long term.
“We have been in a period of financial review for nearly two years, including seeking specialist external advice, and although we always hoped it would not be necessary to make such major changes, with the economic climate as it is and fluctuating almost daily, our board of trustees simply had no choice.
“Although these closures will make a significant difference, we continue to need your support, and anything you can give at this time would be greatly appreciated. We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has already donated or offered support at this incredibly painful time. We have been overwhelmed by your kind messages and donations and are so very grateful.”
A Redwings spokesperson said the Oxhill visitor centre had been running for some 20 years; Redwings Mountains in Forfar came under the charity’s ownership in 2015. Owing to their age, nature and location, these were the charity’s two most expensive centres to run.
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