Knottingley donkey sanctuary won't reopen until next year

The Wonkey Donkey Visitors Centre based at Little Oakes Farm said the welfare of its animals and visitors had to come first.

Posting on Facebook, the sanctuary said: "It is with a lot of sadness and concern to tell you today that we are unable to reopen our visitors centre until Spring 2021 at the earliest.

"This is a very difficult decision to make as we have had no income for our donkeys but it is vital for the safety of our visitors and our animals wellbeing. It is due to the wonderful support of you all that we have been able to keep going throughout lockdown.

"We hope that you will continue to follow our donkey sanctuary and support us during these very difficult times as without this we will be unable to reopen in the Spring. As you know we are coming into a very costly time of year with very expensive hay and feed bills. We want to reassure everyone that our donkeys are our absolute priority and rest assured that with your continued support they will have everything they need.

"For anyone who would like to support us we have the amazon wish list of items that we need. These items can be bought directly from amazon or another merchant and sent to us. Also we are in desperate need of small bales of good quality meadow hay for our winter fodder. We are able to collect if you are unable to get this to us.

"We hope that you will all return to our centre in the Spring and that we will, with your support, be able to continue to grow Wonkey Donkey for many years to come.

"We will be posting as many videos and updates from our donkeys as possible so you can stay in touch with our wonderful animals. In the meantime stay safe and keep well."