The Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary is celebrating a record-breaking summer after welcoming more than 33,000 visitors in August, while a new pilot project has helped young Islanders prepare for the move to secondary school.
The sanctuary’s new Bridging Hooves programme was created to help local pupils navigate the transition from primary to secondary education with greater confidence and make new friends ahead of the school year.
Funded through the Isle of Wight Council’s Community Capacity grant, the programme let participants work alongside the sanctuary’s animals while building confidence and learning new skills.
Young people worked collaboratively with sanctuary staff and volunteers to create a large willow donkey sculpture, which is now on display in the sanctuary’s central courtyard.
Feedback from those taking part was described as overwhelmingly positive, with one pupil calling the programme “fun” and “an amazing experience”.
Teresa Brimble-Brennan, Family and Community Project Officer at the Isle of Wight Council, has said:
“It was wonderful to see how the activities and interactions were thoughtfully linked to the transition process.
“Thank you for providing such a positive and enriching experience.”
The success of the pilot programme came during a bumper summer for the sanctuary, which welcomed more than 33,000 visitors during August alone – its highest monthly total on record.
Overall visitor numbers also reached an all-time high, providing a seasonal boost to donations and income.
The sanctuary says the additional support comes as the cost of providing care for its more than 120 resident animals continues to rise.
Stephen Tobitt, General Manager, has said:
“We’re always so grateful to our community, both local residents and mainland visitors. For the sanctuary, it’s certainly been a summer to remember.
“Seeing our local young people grow in confidence, knowing our animals and team played a part in that, is exactly why we do what we do.
“A huge thank you to the Isle of Wight Council for supporting this pilot scheme, to our whole team for all their hard work and commitment and to everyone who has visited us this summer.”
