Exotic Pet Refuge in Deeping St James raises £10,000 at Easter Sunday open day
Hundreds of visitors made the most of a spot of spring sunshine to visit an open day.
The Exotic Pet Refuge in Deeping St James had a bumper start to the year, raising £10,000 from its first open day held on Easter Sunday.
Pam Mansfield, who owns the refuge, said her open days, of which she’s only allowed to hold a handful a year, normally raise about £4,000 although the Easter one is always the most popular.
Pam said: “It was absolutely magnificent and we couldn’t have asked for a better start to the year.
“I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who came along.”
Thanks to the generosity of local businesses, dozens of Easter eggs formed the prizes in a tombola which completely sold out and by the end of the day, all that was left in the tearoom were a few tired but happy volunteers.
The money raised from the day will be used to pay the winter bills and help to finish the new tortoise house - not that they needed it on Sunday. Even the tortoises were outside entertaining visitors and basking in the sunshine.
The next open day will be held on Sunday, May 14, from 10am to 4pm. This is a week later than it would usually be held so it doesn’t clash with celebrations to mark the king’s coronation.
Visitors can expect to see otters, wolf dogs, lynx, monkey, raccoons, birds and reptiles, including an alligator.
“We hope it will be as well supported,” Pam said. “At the moment, with prices the way they are, we need all the help and support we can get and it really does mean a lot.”
