Scotland News, Kintore
When Louise Yule and her partner moved to an Aberdeenshire farm 20 years ago in search of the “good life” they had no intention of starting an animal sanctuary.
They couple began with a handful of their own animals but gradually started taking in all creatures great and small, including horses, sheep and ferrets.
Louise and her partner Mike Kinghorn say the animals are often old or have health or behavioural issues and can’t be rehomed.
“We’re a forever home for animals no-one else can take,” Louise says.
Their work has now earned Halfpenny Farm, near Kintore, a place on the shortlist for the ‘s Make a Difference awards, in the Animal category.
It is now 23 years since, Louise left her job as a research technician at the University of Aberdeen.
“I bought Bournville the horse and we decided that we’d quite like to have him on our doorstep, and that maybe we needed a lifestyle change, so we could live the good life,” she told Scotland News.
So Louise and Mike, who was working in the oil industry, moved to the farm, which came with two sheep and two goats.
“We already had three rabbits, four cats and two dogs, and now the horse, so they all moved here,” 59-year-old Louise recalls.
“Most of them were rescues, and it kind of evolved from there.”
Word soon spread that Louise would take in unwanted animals.
“Vets started to realise we had quite a lot of animals,” she says.
“So for example we took in a cat that the owner did not want back.”
Four years later, she was offered a job as receptionist in a vet’s surgery.
“That’s where it kind of went out of control,” Louise says.
“Animals would be taken in to be put to sleep and I’d be ‘I’ll take them home!’. I could help!”
They ended up with “quite a lot” of animals, Louise says.
The couple also helped a rescue centre, looking after animals who were to be rehomed but she says this not sit comfortably with her .
“To make the clean break we said: ‘we’ll keep them’.”
The farm ended up with so many animals it became a registered charity about 15 years ago, with aim of providing a sanctuary for animals that had nowhere to go.
However, Mike then lost his job and they had to use his redundancy money to keep going.
Later they put more money onto their mortgage and relied on pension money to keep running.
Louise said she was working in the vets six mornings a week but cut back as she felt the sanctuary needed more of her attention.
With prices going up, she estimates vet and feeding costs are about £60,000 a year.
“At the beginning of this year I thought we’re going to have to close and was beside myself,” she says.
However one of the volunteers set up fundraising efforts, and was met with “incredible” support.
“We now have people willing to do fundraising, that’s making a huge difference, and it’s getting our name out there,” she says.
“We would have been under by now if that hadn’t happened,” Louise says.
“Obviously we now have to try to keep that going.
“We are not taking in any animals at the moment, because I kind of have to look after the ones we have.
“Every rescue kind of lives on the edge, I think we just have to be sensible and not take in any more animals until we see where we stand.”
Louise thinks they have probably looked after about 1,000 animals over the years – the turnover would be more if they were rehomed – and had a couple of hundred volunteers.
She says: “We’ve got people who come for support with learning difficulties, we’ve got people who are maybe struggling at school, folk who want to be vets, kids that come to do their Duke of Edinburgh award, some folk looking to get back into work but are just needing that bit of a confidence boost, mixing with people again.”
One of the volunteers is Innis, 22, from Aberdeen, who has helped the charity for more than a year, mostly working with the larger animals.
“I’d like to work in conservation, I’ve seen courses in South Africa where you can train to be a park ranger,” he says.
His favourite sanctuary resident is Sherman the sheep.
“He’s just very friendly, he’s probably the most personable sheep we have, and always comes over to get his head scratched.”
The judge for the animals award is Clare Grogan, who starred in the classic Scottish movie Gregory’s Girl.
The winners will be unveiled at a ceremony in Glasgow next month, with results then announced on Radio Scotland’s Mornings programme with Kaye Adams on 29 September.
Whether they win or not, Louise is proud of what they do, and described it as a “lovely” feeling to even be nominated.
“We’ve got a lovely bunch of volunteers, a dedicated core crew,” she said.
“The animals do a lot to help people, and the people do a lot to help the animals.
“I think it’s really nice that the volunteers – and the animals – get acknowledged.
“It’s for everyone, we could not have done it without them. It’s very much a little family.”
