Safe volunteer housing at The Friesian Sanctuary

Invest in Our Volunteering Workforce Wellbeing at The Friesian Sanctuary and Greenbank Farm

A Home for Those Who Help Us Care for the Horses

The saying "It takes a village" is in practice every day at Greenbank Farm and The Friesian Experience. As hard as our four-person core team and a small group of dedicated volunteers work, we couldn’t begin to manage the day-to-day provision of best care for the Friesians along with maintaining and improving the Farm without work/stay visitors.

We’ve long benefited from the talents of these hard-working folks who stay with us anywhere from two weeks to six months. When they take on general maintenance and improvement projects, it allows our core team to spend more time with more horses, working and interacting with them toward their best physical and mental fitness. It also helps reduce the feeling that no matter how much we accomplish in a day, much more went undone!

The Urgent Need for a New Static Caravan

Accommodations for work-stay visitors have necessarily changed over the years, especially once we transitioned from running the Farmhouse as a B&B to renting the 7-bedroom house in its entirety. For the past five years, our resident family—Mum, Tamara, Bailey, and me—have not had permanent living quarters, shifting between the Farmhouse, the Cottage, and a 25-year-old static caravan. This juggling act has often meant that our only option for work-stay visitors was housing them in the mobile caravan near the arena—an arrangement that, understandably, was not comfortable for long-term stays and discouraged some volunteers from returning.

While we try not to put too fine a point on it, our existing, aging static caravan, which we’ve lived in for 9-10 months out of the year, leaves a lot to be desired. Insulation and single-glazed windows are inadequate, making temperature and moisture control impossible. Ultimately, the caravan’s best days are behind it.

And so, as it turns 25 in 2025, we’ve decided this signals the perfect year to reach a permanent solution to our work-stay guest accommodations while simultaneously executing our long-anticipated plan to build permanent living quarters for the family on the site of the old shippon.

Our Plan:

Purchase a newer, well-insulated static caravan with double glazing and central heating, providing a comfortable and healthy space for the family to live while we finally build permanent family quarters on the farm.

Once we move into the new house, the upgraded caravan will be dedicated to work-stay volunteers, giving them a welcoming and comfortable base during their time here.

Repurpose the old static caravan temporarily for volunteers until the new house is ready by relocating it near the arena.

Sell the small mobile caravan currently near the arena, with the proceeds going towards the costs.

How You Can Help

The cost of the new static caravan is estimated at £15,000–£20,000, with an additional £5,000 needed for site preparation. This campaign is about more than just better accommodation—it’s about ensuring the future of the Sanctuary, the horses, and the incredible community we’ve built at Greenbank Farm. By supporting this project, you’re helping us continue to provide the best care for the horses while creating a better experience for those who come to help us.

A Generous Head Start

We’re incredibly grateful to one of our anonymous donors who has kickstarted this campaign with a £2,000 contribution! Their generosity brings us one step closer to making this project a reality.

Additionally, I plan to sell one of my original carriages to help contribute to the costs. This is a big step, but it’s a sacrifice worth making to ensure we provide a safe and comfortable space for those who dedicate their time and effort to the sanctuary.

As our supporters know, it’s a bit uncomfortable for us to ask for financial participation with items that are primarily for human benefit—but we know that caring for our humans is so important if they are to continue to care for the horses. For this reason, we’ve set up this campaign for anyone who would like and is able to contribute toward resolving this long-standing issue. While the family will derive benefit in the near term, you’re ultimately investing in our extended work family that is so critical to both TFE and Greenbank Farm.

This is one of a number of different campaigns running throughout 2025. It is so important to us that supporters have the choice of where their support goes so they can watch the videos and know where and how their contribution has made a difference.

If you’d like to get involved, every contribution makes a difference, and we’re so grateful for your support. Thank you for being part of this journey with us.

Donate today and help us create a welcoming home for our volunteers!