A marriage proposal, van-hopping hens and egg-obsessed online gamers – meet the brilliant supporters who’ve been raising funds (and smiles) for the BHWT this month…
Maggie keeps Hilda on the road
“Hilda just turned up at our house one day when we lived abroad,” says Maggie Hazel, who donated £300 to our recent Christmas Appeal. No one could work out where she’d come from, but she soon charmed the builders into sharing their lunches and sparked a lifelong love of hens. “She was a real character,” Maggie says, “and she’s still missed, even though she departed for the coop in the sky in 2020.” Known for exploring unattended vehicles, the family suspects Hilda the hen may have arrived in a workman’s van – making it especially fitting that her name will now travel the country helping other hens find their second chance. “It gladdens my heart that a small gesture can make such a difference.”
Tainy and Xiao Lan-hua’s unexpected bond
Tainy Hsu never imagined she would one day share her life with a hen. Xiao Lan-hua, a tiny bantam chick just a few weeks old, wandered unexpectedly into a relative’s factory before being rescued, then found her way into Tainy’s home – and heart.
“She is my one and only hen companion,” says Tainy Hsu, who donated £63 to our Christmas Appeal and chose to include both their names on the new van’s livery. Smart, curious, expressive and full of personality, Xiao Lan-hua sparked a deep interest in hen welfare and ultimately led Tainy to discover the BHWT. “Through her, I learned so much about chickens as individuals,” she says.
We’re so grateful to Tainy – and to little Xiao Lan-hua, whose name means “Little Orchid” – for helping future hens travel safely towards kinder, happier lives.
Congratulations Natalie!
Huge congratulations to our brilliant supporter Natalie, who is not only running the London Marathon for the BHWT this year, but also has some very special news.
“We decided to go on a hike up Pen y Fan recently,” Natalie recalls. “The last time we did a peak like that I was exhausted, down on all fours. My partner James had to encourage me to ‘channel my inner mountain goat’.” This time, halfway down – and covered in mud – James popped the question. “To say I was surprised is an understatement,” Natalie laughs. “I cried. He chose the most perfect ring – an Edwardian opal, my favourite. I have no idea how he kept it a secret!”
Natalie said yes and – after a quick post-hike Tesco champagne run – and got straight back to fundraising for hens. From organising quiz nights and collections outside her village shop, to donning a giant chicken suit for races and events, her dedication has been nothing short of heroic. With just a few months to go until marathon day, we’re so grateful for everything Natalie is doing to help hens find kinder futures – and if you’d like to cheer her on (and help her reach the finish line), you can support her via her London Marathon fundraising page. Thanks for setting our hearts racing.
A (very) online donation from K4T3GG
And finally… do you have a gamer in your family? Online creator and gamer K4T3GG kindly donated £67 to the BHWT in a generous act that was incredibly on-brand. “My name – “K4T3” – was already taken on TikTok,” she explains. “So I added GG” – gamer shorthand for “good game”. Before long, viewers were misreading this as ‘kat-egg’. Did she correct them? No. She leaned in, and Team Egg was born. Since then, the egg theme has taken on a life of its own. K4T3GG’s live streams are home to a warm, playful community of “hatchlings”, with a Discord server called The Coop, complete with egg-themed roles, emojis and in-jokes. It’s a space designed to be cosy, kind and fun – and that spirit carried over when the community decided to support a cause together. “We came across BHWT’s donation page by coincidence,” Kate explains, “but it felt the most genuine. Being able to help fund a vehicle for something so practical and meaningful really mattered to us.”
Having a name on a BHWT van wasn’t about promotion. It was about showing an online community that something they helped build could contribute to something very real – hens being transported safely to new homes.
“We really appreciated how positive and warm the response was,” she adds. “That kind of interaction matters.”
From memes to movement, we’re incredibly grateful to K4T3GG and Team Egg for helping keep our vans – and our mission – moving. And if you don’t get why they donated £67, maybe ask the grandkids.
Have you got a great fundraising idea you’d like to chat to us about? We’re all ears! Head to our fundraising pages or email fundraise@bhwt.org.uk.
