Re-Opening Statement (05/04/21)
We hope you will be pleased to know that it is our intention to open (third time lucky!) on Thursday 20th May at 11.00 am, when we can also open our tea room for visitors to sit inside for refreshments.
We will, as before, be open four days per week: Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11.00 am – 4.00 pm.
We will be introducing a simple booking system, which will assist in coping during peak times - there is no time limit on the length of your stay! We hope that this will make your visit to our donkeys much more pleasurable and we can't wait to see you after such a long time in hibernation!
BOOK YOUR VISIT HERE!
Covid-19 Statement (28/11/2020)
The Christmas period usually brings lots of visitors to Cornwall and, after closely following the updates, we have made the decision that our sanctuary will remain closed until the New Year. The Covid-19 situation is still tenuous and, if one of our small team became sick and we all had to isolate, we cannot emphasise enough the catastrophic implications this would have for the care of the donkeys.
We are desperate to be able to have you back (we really need to have you back!) and we have worked so hard to get all the necessary safety precautions in place, but our donkeys are of paramount importance - they, and our small team, must be kept safe. We feel that the risk at this time, no matter how small, is just not worth taking.
We are truly sorry to disappoint our valuable and dedicated supporters and followers - we are now aiming (if the guidelines and situation allows) to re-open on Thursday the 14th January. We cannot thank you enough for your incredible support and caring throughout these troubled times... We really look forward to seeing you again when it is safe.
Covid-19 Statement (20/10/2020)
We are still closed to visitors and monitoring the ongoing national situation closely, but we are working hard towards being able to re-open our gates within the next couple of months. Thank you for your continued support!
Covid-19 Statement (07/09/2020)
We currently remain closed to visitors, but we aim to review the situation at the end of September.
Covid-19 Statement (16/07/2020)
Thank you to all of you who have been in touch to see when we will be able to re-open our gates.
Although we love, and rely heavily on, having visitors to our sanctuary, we have serious concerns about a large influx of visitors during the summer with regards to keeping our team and the public safe. Despite the continued easing of lockdown restrictions, Covid-19 infection still poses a real threat in the UK. We are monitoring the local and national situation daily and have to feel confident that we can keep everyone safe without taking unnecessary risks. It is also going to take considerable planning, man power and finances to have appropriate and necessary safety measures in place.
In light of this, we will be reviewing the situation at the beginning of September. The safety and well-being of the general public and our dedicated team is of utmost importance to us. We know that many of you are desperate to see your donkeys again and we are so sorry to disappoint anyone, but thank you for your understanding and continued patience. We cannot thank you enough for your incredible support and caring throughout these troubled times. We honestly couldn’t be here for the donkeys without you and we really look forward to seeing you again when it is safe. Take care everyone. x
We hope you will be pleased to know that it is our intention to open (third time lucky!) on Thursday 20th May at 11.00 am, when we can also open our tea room for visitors to sit inside for refreshments.
We will, as before, be open four days per week: Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11.00 am – 4.00 pm.
We will be introducing a simple booking system, which will assist in coping during peak times - there is no time limit on the length of your stay! We hope that this will make your visit to our donkeys much more pleasurable and we can't wait to see you after such a long time in hibernation!
BOOK YOUR VISIT HERE!
Covid-19 Statement (28/11/2020)
The Christmas period usually brings lots of visitors to Cornwall and, after closely following the updates, we have made the decision that our sanctuary will remain closed until the New Year. The Covid-19 situation is still tenuous and, if one of our small team became sick and we all had to isolate, we cannot emphasise enough the catastrophic implications this would have for the care of the donkeys.
We are desperate to be able to have you back (we really need to have you back!) and we have worked so hard to get all the necessary safety precautions in place, but our donkeys are of paramount importance - they, and our small team, must be kept safe. We feel that the risk at this time, no matter how small, is just not worth taking.
We are truly sorry to disappoint our valuable and dedicated supporters and followers - we are now aiming (if the guidelines and situation allows) to re-open on Thursday the 14th January. We cannot thank you enough for your incredible support and caring throughout these troubled times... We really look forward to seeing you again when it is safe.
Covid-19 Statement (20/10/2020)
We are still closed to visitors and monitoring the ongoing national situation closely, but we are working hard towards being able to re-open our gates within the next couple of months. Thank you for your continued support!
Covid-19 Statement (07/09/2020)
We currently remain closed to visitors, but we aim to review the situation at the end of September.
Covid-19 Statement (16/07/2020)
Thank you to all of you who have been in touch to see when we will be able to re-open our gates.
Although we love, and rely heavily on, having visitors to our sanctuary, we have serious concerns about a large influx of visitors during the summer with regards to keeping our team and the public safe. Despite the continued easing of lockdown restrictions, Covid-19 infection still poses a real threat in the UK. We are monitoring the local and national situation daily and have to feel confident that we can keep everyone safe without taking unnecessary risks. It is also going to take considerable planning, man power and finances to have appropriate and necessary safety measures in place.
In light of this, we will be reviewing the situation at the beginning of September. The safety and well-being of the general public and our dedicated team is of utmost importance to us. We know that many of you are desperate to see your donkeys again and we are so sorry to disappoint anyone, but thank you for your understanding and continued patience. We cannot thank you enough for your incredible support and caring throughout these troubled times. We honestly couldn’t be here for the donkeys without you and we really look forward to seeing you again when it is safe. Take care everyone. x
Covid-19 Statement (12/06/2020)
Following the government’s announcement last week, which came as a surprise to us, many of you have been asking when we will be able to re-open.
Although we would love to open again as soon as possible, unfortunately it is not as simple as just opening our gates. We do not charge an entry fee and it is going to take considerable time, man power and finances to get the appropriate and necessary safety measures in place. As well as ensuring the safety of our visitors we have a duty of care to the small team we have working here at Flicka. This is also our legal duty, which we take very seriously, so the logistics are very complicated.
We have kept our team safe throughout the pandemic by working on a skeleton staff, furloughing staff and having others work from home. Despite the continued easing of lockdown restrictions, Covid-19 infection still poses a real threat in the UK and we have to feel confident that we can keep everyone safe without taking unnecessary risks. We will only reopen when we feel we can adequately protect our team and visitors to our site and we do not have a predicted date for this yet.
There are so many factors to consider in complying with government guidelines and we must also take into account the cost effectiveness of what we do. On a practical level, manning the main gate, car park, visitor numbers and policing social distancing will require so much organisation, with signage, markers and monitoring in place. All this means welcoming more of our staff and volunteers back on site. Many of our dedicated volunteers are classified as vulnerable, so this presents yet more risks to assess. In order to re-open, we would also have to completely re-organise how we run the tea room, as, without it, there is not enough income to justify being open. This will also require another increase in staffing. In addition, the visitor areas of our site are not large, which will make social distancing difficult. Contact with the donkeys is, of course, another highly questionable activity, which we have to consider.
We love having visitors here and the donkeys adore the attention, but we are uncertain of how to proceed without incurring great cost to our charity. We don’t want to open prematurely with ineffective measures and ultimately fall short of our safety obligations.
Please bear with us whilst we try to establish if, how and when it will be possible for us to re-open. We are currently working with a very small team (just a handful of us!) and all our time is taken up caring for the donkeys and keeping our charity running during this difficult time - we are trying our best, but figuring out how to re-open is a huge logistical orchestration.
We know many of you really want to come and see the donkeys again soon and we are so sorry to disappoint anyone, but thank you for understanding and for your constant loyal, support.
Following the government’s announcement last week, which came as a surprise to us, many of you have been asking when we will be able to re-open.
Although we would love to open again as soon as possible, unfortunately it is not as simple as just opening our gates. We do not charge an entry fee and it is going to take considerable time, man power and finances to get the appropriate and necessary safety measures in place. As well as ensuring the safety of our visitors we have a duty of care to the small team we have working here at Flicka. This is also our legal duty, which we take very seriously, so the logistics are very complicated.
We have kept our team safe throughout the pandemic by working on a skeleton staff, furloughing staff and having others work from home. Despite the continued easing of lockdown restrictions, Covid-19 infection still poses a real threat in the UK and we have to feel confident that we can keep everyone safe without taking unnecessary risks. We will only reopen when we feel we can adequately protect our team and visitors to our site and we do not have a predicted date for this yet.
There are so many factors to consider in complying with government guidelines and we must also take into account the cost effectiveness of what we do. On a practical level, manning the main gate, car park, visitor numbers and policing social distancing will require so much organisation, with signage, markers and monitoring in place. All this means welcoming more of our staff and volunteers back on site. Many of our dedicated volunteers are classified as vulnerable, so this presents yet more risks to assess. In order to re-open, we would also have to completely re-organise how we run the tea room, as, without it, there is not enough income to justify being open. This will also require another increase in staffing. In addition, the visitor areas of our site are not large, which will make social distancing difficult. Contact with the donkeys is, of course, another highly questionable activity, which we have to consider.
We love having visitors here and the donkeys adore the attention, but we are uncertain of how to proceed without incurring great cost to our charity. We don’t want to open prematurely with ineffective measures and ultimately fall short of our safety obligations.
Please bear with us whilst we try to establish if, how and when it will be possible for us to re-open. We are currently working with a very small team (just a handful of us!) and all our time is taken up caring for the donkeys and keeping our charity running during this difficult time - we are trying our best, but figuring out how to re-open is a huge logistical orchestration.
We know many of you really want to come and see the donkeys again soon and we are so sorry to disappoint anyone, but thank you for understanding and for your constant loyal, support.
Covid-19 Statement (20/03/2020)
We are sad and sorry to inform you that we have now made the very difficult and grave decision to close our sanctuary gates to visitors until further notice. The safety and well-being of the general public and our dedicated staff and volunteers is of utmost importance to us. To this end, and in light of the ongoing spread of Covid-19, we are sure you will understand that we are left with little choice.
We will be constantly reassessing this situation and continue to act on the advice of the Government and Public Health England.
As for so many businesses and individuals, this is an incredibly worrying time for our charity. We rely heavily on visitors coming through our gates and on special events to feed and care for the donkeys and to fund our vital work, but the safety of the general public and our dedicated staff and volunteers is paramount. We will be constantly reassessing this situation and continue to act on the advice of the Government and Public Health England.
We will keep you updated with any changes on our website and social media channels. Thank you for your ongoing support.
We are sad and sorry to inform you that we have now made the very difficult and grave decision to close our sanctuary gates to visitors until further notice. The safety and well-being of the general public and our dedicated staff and volunteers is of utmost importance to us. To this end, and in light of the ongoing spread of Covid-19, we are sure you will understand that we are left with little choice.
We will be constantly reassessing this situation and continue to act on the advice of the Government and Public Health England.
As for so many businesses and individuals, this is an incredibly worrying time for our charity. We rely heavily on visitors coming through our gates and on special events to feed and care for the donkeys and to fund our vital work, but the safety of the general public and our dedicated staff and volunteers is paramount. We will be constantly reassessing this situation and continue to act on the advice of the Government and Public Health England.
We will keep you updated with any changes on our website and social media channels. Thank you for your ongoing support.
