Animal sanctuaries do amazing, valuable work, restoring faith in human nature in what can often seem like an unfair and unjust world. Friend Farm Animal Sanctuary has been doing exactly this for 25 years, saving the lives of thousands of lives with their dedication and passion for rehabilitating animals. We caught up with Mark, owner and trustee of the sanctuary, ahead of their 25 year anniversary celebrations to talk about the past, present and future of Friendly Farm.
FFAS sanctuary was founded in 1994, with a vegan ethos at the heart of their mission, with the promise to fight all types of oppression and give sanctuary to animals in need. Over the past 25 years, Mark and his late wife Marion, along with their dedicated team of volunteers, have transformed the lives of over 2,000 animals. At the moment, the sanctuary is home to 200 hundred animals. Marion founded the sanctuary after buying an unwell and disabled lamb at a livestock market for £1 after negotiating with the farmer, saving the lamb’s life. She took him home and named him Tim, putting all of her energy into looking after the little lamb. Tim was the spark that ignited the flame — Marion regularly attended the market to check on the welfare of the animals and spent the rest of her life rescuing farmed animals, recognising their intelligence and sentience.