Manor Farm Charitable Trust | Lifelong sanctuary for livestock in need

about us

Manor Farm Charitable Trust is an established charity based in the historic village of Bilsthorpe in north Nottinghamshire.

We provide lifelong sanctuary for livestock in need, particularly elderly, disabled farm animals and those with special behavioural needs. We often take difficult to rehome animals from other rescue charities and offer them loving care and rehabilitation.

The sanctuary was privately established in 2011 and gained registered charity status in July 2017.

In the news:

Channel 5 - Springtime On the Farm
(Featured at 13:30 - free subscription required/contains ads)
Chad - Meet some of the lucky animals who found forever homes at Bilsthorpe sanctuary
Chad - Little Buttons and his magic wheelbarrow of treats thrills Bilsthorpe children
Zoomin.tv - Around the world: The home farm for special needs animals
BBC - Stumble, the one-legged duck given wheelchair
Metro - One-legged duck called Stumble needs a wheelchair to get around
60 Second Docs - Life On A Special Needs Animal Farm
Daily Mail - Dolly the goat has her own male nanny
Daily Mail - Animal outcasts sanctuary in Britain's wonderfully eccentric farm
BBC Three - Amazing Humans: Special Needs Farm
BBC One - Sunday Morning Live
ITV This Morning - Life on the farm for animals with special needs
BBC News - Bilsthorpe farm care for ‘special needs animals’
The Telegraph - ‘Special needs’ farm takes on animals unwanted by other sanctuaries
(Free trial or subscription required)
Chad - Meet the Bilsthorpe sanctuary that cares for farm animals with special needs

Check out all our current appeals and fundraisers

Current Manor Farm Charitable Trust appeals and fundraisers on enthuse

beliefs

We’re passionate about high standards of welfare for farm animals in the human food chain.
We believe that every animal deserves a good start, middle and end to their life, and should be treated with compassion and respect.
We know that animals are as individual as people, with complex needs and strong emotional connections to other animals and humans.
We believe that no animal should be exploited for their productivity, but the things that they provide naturally such as eggs and fleece should not be wasted, viewed instead as valuable gifts.

promises

We offer food, shelter, love and companionship to all the animals in our care for the length of their life here with us.
We don’t breed – there are enough unwanted animals in the world without us adding to the list.
We don’t send to slaughter – animals at the end of their life are humanely put to sleep by a qualified vet.
We don’t rehome – the animals that come to us are given a home for life. Unfortunately this means that we have restrictions on numbers, unless and until we’re able to expand our facilities.
We refer wildlife and domestic pets (cats, dogs, rabbits) to other specialist animal charities: Brinsley Animal Rescue, Cats Protection and Dogs Trust.

Fundraising

We raise money to support our animal care via corporate sponsorship, public donations, egg sales from our Egg Club and yarn sales from our single sheep artisan yarn brand, Hooligan Yarns.

We also hold fundraising and awareness-building Open Days, and host special interest groups or individual visitors throughout the rest of the year, by appointment.

If you’d like to organise a visit here to meet the animals and learn about our work, please contact info@manorfarmcharitabletrust.org

Create your own fundraising page

You can set up your own fundraiser now for us too! It’s really easy to create your fundraiser online – just click on the button and follow the simple step by step guide.

Fundraise for Manor Farm Charitable Trust on enthuse

Whether it’s setting yourself a personal exercise challenge or running a cake bake or a craft stall, we’re so grateful if you can help us in this way. And we’ll share the details of your fundraiser too so even more people can take part!

our 2024 calendar

12 beautiful photos of our rescued and rehomed animals here at Manor Farm Charitable Trust. Our 2024 calendar has again been specially created for us by artist and supporter Emma Ball, with photos taken by Annice Bridgett.

It features some of the lovely characters we have here at the charity, so if you’ve followed the stories of Mary-Kate, Dudley and Teddy, and would like to support their care, please buy a copy!

Thanks to Emma’s generosity, all proceeds go directly to support our animals. The A4 sized calendar is printed on high quality card and will make a lovely gift.

There are three shipping zones for our calendars – the UK, Europe and the rest of the world. Orders will be processed within 3 business days.

it's easy to donate…

Even small amounts can make a big difference to us. Just click on the button to make a donation!

Donate to Manor Farm Charitable Trust on enthuse

All donations go directly to pay for feed, bedding, medication, veterinary care and the employment of our dedicated and experienced animal handling team: our ‘Animal Angels’. Our paid staff are supported by enthusiastic volunteers who help us get important extra jobs done to maintain our very high standards of welfare.

Or if you prefer to donate by bank transfer:

Account Name: Manor Farm Charitable Trust
Sort Code: 60-14-03
Account No: 61026018

lifelong sanctuary for livestock in need