This article isn’t all about cats although of course as always, Kays Hill is overflowing with cats and kittens at present. But it does affect cats, because Kevin has to find the money for the following licences he has been told he must have.
The more money handed over for these bits of official paper the less to spend on the animals and the less number of animals they can help at Kays Hill. But he has no choice.
- A Pet Shop licence – So that the public can be allowed onto the Sanctuary site more than 7 days in a year.
This one also covers asking for donations, such as at the forthcoming Halloween Party to raise funds, admission is free but donations are welcome. It will also cover the sale of pet carriers, litter trays, etc. - A performing animal licence – To enable Kays Hill volunteers to go into schools and to fund raising events and fetes, with animals allowed out of their travelling cage in public.
- A falconry licence – To enable them to take a bird out of its flight in an area the public may have access to.
- A vehicle licence – For transporting any animal around, be it to the vets, to events, or to collect when rescuing.
Each of these licences cost £100 (160 dollars) plus vets fees!
It’s almost as if DEFRA want to make it harder, if not impossible, for Animal Sanctuaries to continue rescuing and caring for needy animals and to raise money to keep going. Also to do the very important work of educating people, especially children, as to the right way to treat animals.
Many animals and birds live unhappy lives or are abandoned simply because of people not knowing how to care for them properly. Being able to reach out to children at schools and at events is very important to the future animals in the care of those children. Also children are very good at educating their parents too.
We visited Kays Hill the other day with some cat food we had for them and as always, Kevin, Leanne and Dan were hard at work, they and their volunteers put in long hours and with winter coming on it’s not at all pleasant working outdoors most of the time.
Bureaucrats sitting in their cosy offices don’t care about that, they just come up with more ideas to get money out of Sanctuaries like Kays Hill, knowing they will have no choice but to find it somehow.
It’s not so long since Kevin was ordered to put fences up between different species, thankfully in the recent gale force winds only one and a shed blew down.
Those people sitting in their offices making costly rules and regulations have no idea what hard work and worry is, I think they should spend a day at an Animal Sanctuary and find out.
Without these licences they’d be very restricted as to what they could do, so even if not mandatory, they are for the good of the Sanctuary.
They have come on so much from when we first met Kevin, it must be around 10 years ago now and have survived through all sorts of hardships!
They never turn a desperately needy animal away and every single one is loved and cared for and they somehow find wonderful homes for the ones who can be rehomed. The unrehomable ones staying there for ever look very content and happy.
I really don’t know what we would do in this area without Kays Hill.
It gets from bad to worse for compassionate animal rescues.
These licenses are mandatory?
It says a lot that they stay so positive considering all that happens to them. They have had more than their share of hard times and tragedies.
I admire so much.
It’s a shame that they have no luck because they’re such genuinely nice and kind hearted people who only want to help the animals, they seem to have been bogged down by red tape for years and just as it seems they’re making headway along comes some more rules and restrictions. But they will carry on as they always do, fundraising and caring for the animals that no-one else wants, I don’t know how they keep it up, from early morning till late at night in all weathers and still cheerful!
Further troubles, Kays Hill was hit by a storm last night which has devastated the Halloween Party preparations…..but as Kevin says
‘The show will go on’
We can only admire him.
Oh dear thats sad to hear 🙁 It seems to happen everywhere these days. Sad for the Cats. 🙁
This is depressing but it is inline with what we hear about businesses in the UK being bogged down by bureaucratic regulations, some or a lot of which stem from European Union membership.
Everyone knows that red tape needs to be reduced to allow businesses and charities to flourish.
I am saddened to read about this.