Christmas appeal 2022
Lisa Anderson
Lesley Cook
Adrienne Grimsditch
Together, we'll make sure the cost of living doesn't cost a life
Tens of thousands of hens have found their way into cosy coops in time for Christmas, and for that we thank every single person who has offered up their back gardens this year.
For those hens, life as they know it has changed immeasurably. No longer just a number among thousands, they now have names, sleep on soft bedding and look forward to scratching around a back garden every time the sun rises.
However, our work is getting harder and more expensive. Increases in the price of fuel, feed and veterinary bills mean our costs are rising, plus the ever-present threat of Avian Influenza continues to impact our work.
The cost of rehoming a single hen now stands at £5, and that figure is only going one way. In 2021 we rehomed 52,124 hens which means our yearly cost alone was over a quarter of a million pounds. Add on unexpected veterinary bills and our costs increase hugely.
Can you help make a difference?
Costs are going up across the board – we all know that. Our costs in 2022 and 2023 will continue to rise putting even more pressure on the work we do, which is why we are asking for your help.
Please, will you give a gift today and ensure that we are able to help as many hens as possible? Any gift, no matter how large or small, makes a huge difference to our work – imagine if every one of our 60,000 supporters gave just £1 to this appeal.
It matters not to hens that the cost of living has gone up – only that they get the help and support they need, when they need it.
Together, we’ll continue making sure the cost of living doesn’t cost a life. Are you with us?
Thank you for whatever you are able to give.
I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Jane Howorth, MBE
Founder, British Hen Welfare Trust
Have you seen our Christmas story?
Have you ever wondered what a donation to us looks like? Who it touches and the lives it saves? Watch our Christmas Appeal video below to follow the hens whose futures are now bright, thanks to a little boy with a big heart and his loving family.
Meet two hens you've helped
Introducing Cornflake and Hey Hey, just two of the hundreds of thousands of hens whose lives are now unrecognisable after being rehomed. Despite the increasing costs, hens all over the country are relying on us to keep saving lives. Because, at the end of the day, nothing makes us happier than seeing contented hens like these two.
It is so rewarding giving them a new life and the eggs they give us are a bonus. Cornflake spends her days roaming the paddocks with the other girls as well as the the ponies and a pot-bellied pig called George who she also gets a ride on and steals his food! She loves to sunbath and have a dust bath wherever she finds a nice dry patch of garden then gets tucked up at night in her cosy house. It took a few months to get her beautiful feathers back and to get that little comb nice and red again but she got there and is loving her freedom and new life.
When we first got Hey Hey she wasn’t very friendly and used to peck everything in sight! That’s where she got her name, Hey Hey: the crazy cockerel from the Disney film “Moana”. Initially she was very light and missing a few feathers. She mostly pecked at things while her friends scratched around, but with a bit of TLC she relaxed and became friendlier. Hey Hey is often found being carried around the garden by family or friends. We have loved adopting chickens and it has been equally enjoyable finding out their different characters.
this festive season?
Donating online is just a few clicks away. However, if you would prefer to donate by post, please make cheques payable to British Hen Welfare Trust and send to Hope Chapel, Rose Ash, South Molton, Devon, EX36 4RF. Alternatively, give Hen Central a call on 01884 860084 and we’ll happily take your donation over the phone.
