Our newest equine centre

Work is now complete at the new Blue Cross equine welfare facility at Rolleston in Staffordshire. The centre is now open and is enabling the charity to increase its valuable work rehabilitating and rehoming horses and ponies.

Over the past decade, The Blue Cross has seen a steady increase in demand for its equine welfare services. Currently The Blue Cross has over 450 horses in its care, both at its centres and in approved homes. The central midlands location of the new premises will help the charity to extend the reach of its rehoming service.

Acquiring the site at Rolleston

The new site was bequeathed to the charity in 1990 by Mr Robert Archer, to establish an animal sanctuary in memory of his late wife Hilda. Working in support of the two existing Blue Cross equine centres in Oxfordshire and East Sussex, the new 60-acre site will cater for up to 35 horses at any one time. In its original state, the site consisted of a farmhouse with outbuildings and 60 acres of grazing land. With the exception of the farmhouse, the buildings were dilapidated and could not be adapted cost effectively. As a result, the site was fully redeveloped to provide the modern facilities necessary to allow us to continue our first-class equine welfare work.

Kerstin Alford, director of equine welfare at The Blue Cross says: "The charity is always looking for good homes for the horses and ponies it rehabilitates. The new Rolleston centre will be a huge benefit, enabling The Blue Cross to provide a safe future, through its rehoming scheme, for even more horses and ponies that need help".

The new centre at Rolleston will not only ensure that more needy horses are helped but, perhaps more significantly, provide the facilities to promote the principles of good equine management, leading to a reduction in the numbers of horses requiring our care in the longer term.

If you would like further details of this project, please contact selina.williams@bluecross.org.uk.