Over the festive period, we may have found ourselves taking time to sit and reflect on those who may be less fortunate than ourselves, but I’ll bet that not a lot of us will be thinking about our furry friends. All too often animals are forgotten about or overlooked at Christmas, as we scramble to get everything ready in time for the big day.
That’s why
Brooke, the working Horses and Donkeys charity, shines a spotlight on donkeys over the Christmas period. After all, Donkeys are synonymous with Christmas thanks to their inclusion in the nativity.
Brooke is named after Dorothy Brooke, the wife of a British cavalry officer who, in 1930, with some help from the British public, bought back 5,000 former war horses that had been put to work in Egypt. Dorothy then went on to set up a free veterinary clinic in Cairo, and the Brooke Hospital For Animals was born.
The modern day Brooke envision a world in which working horses, donkeys and mules are free from suffering and have a life worth living. Their mission statement decrees that they want to bring about positive change to the lives of both the animals and the communities that depend on them.
Around 600 million people around the world have their own livelihood supported by donkeys, mules and horses, but still these animals are overlooked far too often. At Christmastime, Brooke wants the spotlight on these hard working animals for a change, and they produced this short animation to help their cause:
On Brooke’s ‘
Spotlight on Donkeys’ page, there are some downloadable instructions to create your own origami Dinky Donkey; just make sure to share a picture on social media if you do make one, and use the hashtag
#SpotlightOnDonkeys to help spread the word.
Another great way of helping a charity like Brooke is to raise money in memory of a loved one. That’s exactly what the family of
Sheila Mary Bernal-Soria did on the event of her passing, and they raised £340 for this great cause.
If you have a charity that you would like us to take a closer look at in one of our future Charity Spotlight blogs, then please let us know in the comments section below!
