This is a special appeal from our founder, Pauline Lesson. Holly Hedge never refuses vet treatment to make our rescues pain free and whole again. However, in the past 24 months our vet bill has exceeded £250k . Many more animals are entering our gates needing urgent help and we simply cannot let them down. Tell Me More
Written by: Simon Millward on August 25th, 2024

UPDATE: Rocco is now happily rehomed! From 31 December 'XL Bully type' dogs will be added to the list of banned dogs in England and Wales. More information about this is available on the government website: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prepare-for-the-ban-on-xl-bully-dogs.  If you are concerned how this change in the law may affect you and your dog, Holly Hedge are offering advice and support to owners around applying for an exemption certificate and muzzle training. Please contact [email protected]. Sweet and handsome Rocco is a large cross breed currently at Holly Hedge, sadly it’s possible that he could be classed as an XL Bully type dog. If he is...
Written by: Simon Millward on December 12th, 2023

This is Lexi, a five year old beautiful Boerboel, a rare mastiff breed, she is truly a gentle giant. Many of you will have met Lexi at one of our fundraising events. This beautiful well-mannered girl has accompanied her carers to Funday, Bark in the Park and the Christmas Fayre last year. Always the perfect Holly Hedge Ambassadog. Unfortunately, Lexi hasn’t been lucky enough to find her forever home yet. And sadly, she’s also experienced more than her share of bad luck with her health. Earlier this year, she needed part of her tail amputated and more recently was diagnosed with...
Written by: Simon Millward on December 7th, 2023

...  for members 13th December 2023 at 12 o’clock at the sanctuary.  Please advise if attending.
Written by: Simon Millward on October 5th, 2023

We're looking for a full time Centre Manager to be an integral part of our plans going forward. HOLLY HEDGE ANIMAL SANCTUARY IS RECRUITING A FULL TIME CENTRE MANAGER TO BE ANINTEGRAL PART OF OUR EXCITING NEW PLANS FOR THE FUTURE OF THE SANCTUARY GOINGFORWARD. WE ARE SEEKING AN ENTHUSIASTIC, MOTIVATIONAL, AND INSPIRATIONAL INDIVIDUALWHO IS A GOOD COMMUNICATOR WITH EXCEPTIONAL LEADERSHIP AND ORGANISATIONAL SKILLS.TO BE CONFIDENT IN MARKETING, PUBLIC SPEAKING AND LIAISING WITH MEDIA WOULD BE A PLUS.BEING PASSIONATE ABOUT OUR RESCUED ANIMALS AND WILLING TO GO THAT EXTRA MILE TO DOWHATEVER IT TAKES TO TRANSFORM THEIR LIVES IS ESSENTIAL.ROLE...
Written by: Simon Millward on October 4th, 2023

Jasper is a real character and loved by us all! Jasper has had a really tough start to life as he was recently diagnosed with steroid responsive meningitis, so we urgently need to find him a foster home/owner where he can fully recover. Read more here >
Written by: Simon Millward on October 4th, 2023

Holly Hedge were originally hoping to open to the public again before Christmas 2022. Sadly due towork being carried out on-site this was not possible due to scaffolding and several builders vehiclesneeding to park up and come and go throughout the day. There is still extensive building work to bedone on our crumbling reception and office area, but we must wait for planning permission beforethis commences. In the meantime, we are hoping to extend the car park to accommodate morevisitors and corporate groups to the Sanctuary. As we strive to make life as comfortable and stress free as possible for...
Written by: Admin on April 20th, 2023

Aged somewhere between 9 and 12 years. Hello, my name is now Phoenix and I am the happiest I have ever been in many years. I was broken but now I feel reborn and ready to face the world again. I am now pain free and healing well, but I would really like to tell my story as it might help other abandoned or neglected cats and kittens just like I used to be.So here it is with a bit of raw emotion, but my story is destined to have a happy ending and I am so looking forward to...
Written by: Admin on April 7th, 2023

All of us at Holly hedge were so sorry to hear of Debbie Swatton’s passing. Debbie was a friend to many, including Holly Hedge and most of all to the animals she cared so deeply for. She spent many hours searching for lost dogs and cats, and would often go out late at night if there were sightings of missing pets. The amount of time Debbie spent taking calls from distraught people whose pets had gone missing was immeasurable, and she was always there for both people and animals. Our sincere condolences go out to her family and friends at...
Written by: Suzanne on June 9th, 2022

This week out of the blue we were sent an email from the CashDog Team offering us a donation, it seemed too good to be true! We were floored when the very next day we received an incredible donation of £5,000 by CashDog. We are deeply grateful to Cashdog and our rescues give huge thanks too. We have so many hungry mouths to feed with over 100 rescues in our care at any time, and just yesterday we received 10 calls from people needing help rehoming their pets. It is no secret that our finances have taken a devastating blow...
Written by: Admin on June 18th, 2021

We have some fabulous news to share with you all! We are extremely proud to announce that our inimitable Volunteer and Trustee, Nicky Leeson has won the Petplan UK Volunteer of the Year Award!As many of you know, Nicky Leeson tirelessly dedicates her time volunteering for us. She carries out an array of roles from dog walking, cat cuddling, homechecks, responding to all queries on facebook, raising funds for us at events – she makes an enormous contribution to our vital work, and always does it with a smile! We are incredibly proud and honoured to be working alongside Nicky,...
Written by: Admin on June 9th, 2021

Want to see what's happening at the Sanctuary?
Written by: Admin on June 7th, 2021

Our amazing Pip Sharp has been busy organising Staffy Awareness Week (18th to 25th April 2021), and this includes an incredible STAFFY RAFFLE! To see more about the event, including wonderful businesses who are supporting Holly Hedge by having a virtual stall, click here. Calling all staffy fanatics! We have a whole host of Staffy related items up for grabs in our Staffy Raffle! Pictured are just some of the items we have waiting for you to win. Tickets are £2 each payable via PayPal as friends and family (so we don’t pay a fee) to:- [email protected] Please contact [email protected]...
Written by: Admin on June 7th, 2021

Thank you to Tesco in Nailsea for this wonderful donation recently.We are very grateful for their kindness and generosity. Our rescues will be very happy!
Written by: Admin on April 14th, 2021

The fantastic team at IVC Evidensia helped to transform to lives of many Holly Hedge residents in 2019. Their life changing donations totalling £6,000 donation is enough to cover the annual vaccinations of 180 animals, or care for an animal at the Sanctuary for a year. But they didn't stop there… Team member Matt took part in our incredible fundraising event - the Newfoundland Water Rescue, which saw participants jumping into water and being "rescued" by a rather large newfoundland dog! Despite some classic British weather, he raised a brilliant £220! A whopping 200 bags of dog treats were put...
Written by: Admin on February 27th, 2020

We'd like to give a huge warm welcome to BLB Solicitors Bath Branch who have chosen Holly Hedge as their Charity of the Year for 2020! Just before Christmas Amanda and Julie came to meet some of the residents they'll be helping and have a tour of the Sanctuary, it is always exciting for us to meet our supporters, especially those who are able to help us through their workplaces and help us continue our vital work. Their team are known for having brilliant fundraising ideas so we can't wait to see what they come up with this year! Pictured from left...
Written by: Admin on January 9th, 2020

Our judges deliberated long and hard looking through the Christmas card entries (and went through many many cups of tea!) and we have our winners! We are so grateful to all of you for helping them make a very difficult decision, in the end they couldn't just choose 3 designs, so we have 4! Some of our artists included a little about themselves so we have included that if you click on the image. There was such an abundance of creativity and talent, it's been so lovely to see all your artwork and how much you all cherish your cats...
Written by: Admin on January 7th, 2020

Please meet one of our fabulous supporters Louise, who we have the utmost respect for. Louise will be running in the London Marathon on Sunday 26th April 2020. It will be her first and last ever marathon, and we asked why now, and why she chose to support us. Here's what she said: "I attach a couple of photos of myself and Max. We adopted him in 2012 and he has been the most fantastic and loving dog. He is a lab/roti cross and was known as Michael when we adopted him. We also had 2 other dogs gsd/collie (photo...
Written by: Admin on November 12th, 2019

Pip Sharp spins us right round once again with her fantastic fundraising efforts! On 12th October Pip and her friend Kirsty Dillow held an 80's night, to fundraise for Holly Hedge and Skiathos Cat Welfare Association, a charity in Greece who have been helping hundreds of stray and injured cats since 2005. 80's night was totally bodacious and I’m so pleased to announce that an amazing £792.15 was raised, which will be split between both charities equally. We are so thankful for these two incredible ladies and their ability to organise these fun events that get everyone to pop on...
Written by: Admin on October 18th, 2019

Did you attend Pamper Evening?! High-fives all around if you did! It was another wonderful event, organised and hosted by our wonderful Pip Sharp! A lovely evening was had by all who came and it was a terrific success for our rescues, £945.86 was raised! Holly Hedge is so incredibly fortunate to have such inimitable supporters who go above and beyond for our animals. We are very grateful to Pip, her lovely volunteers and all of our friends who came and indulged in a treatment or stocked up on some luxurious goodies! The funds raised will be used to look...
Written by: Admin on October 17th, 2019

What can we say except WOW! Our current total from the most adrenaline-fuelled fundraising event of 2019 is drumroll please… £7,038.23!!! With Gift Aid we have reached over £8,000, this is the most we have ever raised with this amazing event! This incredible feat would not have been made possible without the fantastic Newfound Friends UK who were professional, fun and supportive throughout the day. They donate their time, hard work and skills for charities throughout the year, and we have nothing but respect and gratitude for them & the Newfoundland Dogs, who are true heroes. Our Jumpers went above...
Written by: Admin on July 3rd, 2019

Wow! We have been bowled over once again by the enormous fundraising efforts of Tania Taber and Ginny Matchwick, whose desire to help our rescues seems to know no bounds! Swing For Victory 2019 has raised a phenomenal £3,022.42!! This can cover the cost of 7 dogs or cats having much-needed dental surgery, or the removal of nasty lumps causing pain and threatening to become a bigger, life-threatening issue. So to Tania, Ginny, the inimitable team of volunteers, all the donors of prizes and everyone who attended and dug deep, THANK YOU! You are heroes to our animals. Tania and...
Written by: Admin on June 7th, 2019

Every year on 1st-7th June is National Volunteers week and we like to take the time to mention those who give up their own time, to help those in need.We would like to thank each and every one of you for your continued support!By volunteering and helping us you have changed the lives of animals for the better. Whether you support us in the sanctuary caring for the animals, helping us out with maintenance and gardening, working in one of our offices or in our charity shop, volunteering at events or even organising your own events on our behalf. No...
Written by: Admin on June 3rd, 2019

Bagpuss was known to many on facebook as the cat left behind after his owner sadly passed away. Many people posted sightings of Bagpuss and tried to find a Rescue Shelter that would be able to come out and trap him. Thankfully we soon found out about poor Bagpuss, and now he is at the Sanctuary. We're hoping to find Bagpuss the loving home he deserves very soon, one of our lovely volunteers wrote a poem for him in the hope it would help him get adopted. The cat who waited. I remember the head bumps and chin rubs.I’d weave...
Written by: Admin on May 31st, 2019

Pip Sharp and Jenny Green are two wonderful people who volunteer their time and energy to putting on amazing events that raise funds for us. They organised a fabulous Fashion Show, that took Long Ashton by storm.The event was a huge success thanks to their hard work and excellent organisation skills, and the event raised a whopping £944.39, which will provide vital care for our rescues. Pip & Jenny (the middle two gorgeous ladies from the right hand side) regularly go above and beyond for Holly Hedge, and we are so grateful that their compassion seems to know no bounds....
Written by: Admin on May 20th, 2019

Hannah Farr has been with Holly Hedge for almost two years and become an integral part of the cattery team. Hannah is always ready with a smile and treats every cat that comes in with respect and love, and consistently works hard to help even the most frightened cat learn to trust people, so they are ready for a loving home. Hannah took on a huge challenge recently and ran the Simply Health Great Bristol 10K for us! With a recently injured knee, Hannah wasn't sure if she would be able to run 10k, but two weeks to go her...
Written by: Admin on May 17th, 2019

Back by popular demand! Our annual online auction of fabulous goods and services, as organised by our Swing for Victory Bristol event team can be found online here. The auction will take place from 28th April 2019 at 16:00hrs to 12th May 2019 at 16:00hrs. So many wonderful items coming up in our Online Auction album. Check back for sneak previews before the bidding opens on Sunday 28th April 2019!
Written by: Admin on April 6th, 2019

In January we asked you all to help us look after two kittens, Jasper and Beanie with an extremely rare oesophageal condition that meant they would have special needs for life. For anyone new to this story you can read about the 2 special kittens here. Your donations made a huge difference and covered the cost of all their medical needs to date, which is incredible for both the kittens and us as a charity! Around a month ago, Joe Perry Gupp contacted us and said he wanted to make each of them a special feeding station with a raised...
Written by: Admin on April 5th, 2019

A huge thanks to Gloucestershire County Cricket Club who rallied some of their brilliant players to come and give our sensory garden some much needed TLC.The sensory garden is instrumental in exposing our animals to what they would expect in a normal home; some animals come to us having never lived in a home environment or been outside, having the garden means we can slowly introduce things to them so it's not too overwhelming when they do find a new home. Thank you all so much, our dogs are especially grateful!
Written by: Admin on February 7th, 2019

Julie decided that for her 60th birthday she was going to do something life changing for animals, and fortunately for our residents, Julie picked Holly Hedge as the beneficiary of her birthday fundraiser!Julie is aiming to raise £1,687 to cover a day's running costs of the sanctuary, and she is doing a bang up job so far, having already reached 60% of her target. Julie's fundraiser is below, please do take a look and show her your support! Go Julie, Go!https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Julie-Bootle1
Written by: Admin on January 21st, 2019

A huge thank you to all of our incredible Pledges; Cyberfive, ALD Automotive, Chubb Fire & Security, John Hall, Nicky Leeson, Mary Boyce, Julie Cole and Robert and Christine Browne.Our amazing Pledges match funded £3,000 worth of donations from our wonderful supporters, and this meant we also were eligible for an extra donation of £1,415 from our Champion, The Reed Foundation. In total we have raised the grand total of £9,887! We are so truly grateful to each and every person who donated, read and shared our campaign.You are all heroes to our animals.
Written by: Admin on January 21st, 2019

Tesco at Nailsea and Portishead has the Holly Hedge Meadow Biodiversity Project as one of its charities for July and August! Please support us, by voting while you shop.
Written by: David on July 6th, 2018

At the end of your shop in branch, you’ll receive a token to place in a box of the good cause you’d most like to support. The more tokens a cause gets, the bigger the donation they receive. Each month every Waitrose branch donates £1,000 (£500 in Convenience shops) between 3 local good causes that you choose. At Waitrose Nailsea, Holly Hedge Animal Sanctuary is 1 of the 3 local charities for July. Please support us while you shop.
Written by: David on July 5th, 2018

Dear Friends and Supporters, I am writing to you as someone who shares our love and passion for animals, and it is with a heavy heart that I have to break the news that Holly Hedge is facing its greatest challenge. Over time, costs have escalated to over £650,000 a year to keep the Sanctuary running to a high standard and to give our rescues the best possible chance of a new beginning and a happy ever after, but we have been constantly using our reserves to help fund the gap by contributing towards vets bills and running costs as...
Written by: Admin on May 25th, 2018

  We are celebrating the official launch of our new kennels. Our previous kennels were extremely dilapidated, crumbling and more than 30 years old. The new state-of-the-art kennels definitely have the seal of approval, and our rescuees are far cosier and more relaxed. Holly Hedge now boasts a sensory garden and plenty of green space for the animals to explore, and the animals are enjoying the upgrade. The three long-stay rooms with their own little fenced in area are a great success too, and the dogs in there seem far more content, enjoying their home comforts, especially their sofas and...
Written by: Admin on July 26th, 2017

Our team of friendly staff and volunteers at our charity shop in Nailsea are on the hunt for good quality items to sell, from clothes and jewellery to puzzles and bric-a-brac. If you are having a clear out or have unwanted gifts and items please do think about donating them to our shop. All the profits made go back to help the Sanctuary care for all the lovely cats and dogs. Donations can be taken directly to our shop in Nailsea. Please see our contact us page on the website for directions and details of their opening times.
Written by: Admin on February 2nd, 2017