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Somerset animal rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming charity, Ferne Animal Sanctuary, has announced its Chief Executive Officer, Kevan Hodges, will sleep rough for a week, from 19^th to 25^th June, to raise vital funds for the charity’s urgent appeal for donations.

Kevan will be sleeping near the charity’s stores in Devon and Somerset for seven consecutive nights, in each town where Ferne Animal Sanctuary shops are located, including Chard, Crewkerne, Honiton, Ilminster, Sidmouth, Wellington and Dorchester.

As the Chief Executive Officer of Ferne Animal Sanctuary, Kevan’s challenge aims to raise awareness of the awful situations the resident animals are often put in prior to being rescued by the sanctuary – from dogs left astray to kittens abandoned at the curb – with all donations directly supporting the charity’s life-changing work.

Kevan Hodges, Chief Executive Officer of Ferne Animal Sanctuary, comments, “We sadly rescue hundreds of animals every year, who are often left to fend for themselves in the worst conditions you could imagine. On their behalf, I will be sleeping rough for seven nights at seven of our eight Ferne charity shops in Devon and Somerset, to raise vital funds for our surrendered, neglected and abandoned animals. Every donation is a life-saving chance for the animals we care for – thank you for your continued support.”.

All proceeds from Kevan’s initiative will support Ferne Animal Sanctuary’s urgent appeal to raise funds in light of the charity announcing unprecedented and severe financial downturn in recent months. Donations raised will directly support Ferne Animal Sanctuary in continuing to provide the necessary food, shelter, care, and love for more than 300 unwanted animals living at the sanctuary.

This annual initiative follows last year’s ‘Ferne 2 Ferne’ challenge, which saw Kevan successfully walk 46miles from Ferne’s original site on the Wiltshire/Dorset border, to the sanctuary’s current location in the Blackdown Hills, near Chard. Accomplishing the trek in less than 20hours, Kevan raised over £1,700, which funded a new dog sensory summer house and garden, cat wall furniture and a mechanical cat for dog temperament testing, reducing stress for resident cats and supporting the rehabilitation of rescue dogs.

Ferne Animal Sanctuary is a non-government funded charity that has provided refuge and rehabilitation to its animals for more than 85 years. Located in a Natural Landscapes area and nested in the Blackdown Hills near Chard, Somerset, Ferne Animal Sanctuary houses and cares for more than 300 animals on its 72-acre site.

To donate to Kevan’s challenge, please follow this link: www.justgiving.com/page/ceochallenge-2024

To offer support to the urgent appeal, please follow this link: www.justgiving.com/campaign/urgentappealforferne

For more information about Ferne Animal Sanctuary, please visit www.ferneanimalsanctuary.org