THE dedicated owners of a horse sanctuary in Essex have appealed for help from the public as they bid to continue their good work.

Elliot Furniss

THE dedicated owners of a horse sanctuary in Essex have appealed for help from the public as they bid to continue their good work.

Rachel and Keith Jelley have run the North Essex Horse Rescue, now based in Thorrington, for 25 years but they face a crisis as the site is full and they are desperate for assistance.

Mr Jelley is 80 while his wife is 66 and they work so tirelessly at the site they have not taken a holiday for a quarter of a century.

Mrs Jelley said the 26 horses at the site are all too old or unwell to be re-homed and with years of daily graft taking their toll, the couple needed more help than ever before.

She said: “We have a few volunteers come, but mainly it's us and Keith is 80 now but he still does a full day's work. We've never had a day off.

“I have had horses all my life but we need help mucking out the horses - anyone who can spend some time here can give me a ring.”

Mrs Jelley said all were welcome, however old or able, and there were a wide range of jobs waiting to be done.

She said: “We have retired people as well because it gives them a bit of an interest and we're always looking for retired men who can come and do some odd jobs.

“We do open days on the first Sunday of every month and we always need people to help out then.”

The open days are one of the main fundraising events that the rescue centre uses to cover its costs and Mr and Mrs Jelley, who have been married for 35 years, rely largely on volunteers to help them out.

The site is also home to sheep, goats, parrots, cats and a bullock.

To find out more or to volunteer, call Mrs Jelley on 07904651946.