31/03/2026
Sad news indeed for such a wonderful institution and for Scotland to lose a rescue centre.
It is with profound sadness that we announce the closure of two of our visitor centres, Redwings Mountains in Forfar, Angus, and Redwings Oxhill in Warwickshire, following a period of staff consultation. Both visitor centres are now closed to visitors, with immediate effect.
https://www.redwings.org.uk/news-and-features/redwings-announces-closure-two-visitor-centres-in-scotland-and-warwickshire
We are so sorry to share that 33 staff members have been made redundant across the two sites, and all staff have been offered wellbeing support and help to find alternative employment wherever possible. We would like to thank them most sincerely for all their hard work and dedication and wish them every success in the future.
All the resident horses and donkeys will be relocated to our Norfolk sites, and this includes our Adoption Stars. Anyone who supports Redwings by sponsoring a horse or donkey at one of these centres will receive further information about this in due course, and we are so sorry for any disappointment this may cause.
Every horse affected has a new home ready and waiting for them at our Norfolk sanctuary sites. Neither of these centres took in rescue cases directly, and so the closure does not affect Redwings’ ability to rescue horses from anywhere in the country, as we have always done. We will continue to help horses in need, wherever and whenever we can. However, these closures do save vital and significant operating costs long-term, allowing us to secure the future of the 1000+ horses in our sanctuary care who rely on us every day.
Businesses and charities across the country are struggling severely – Redwings is certainly not alone. Needing to use our reserves (our savings) to cover the gap between our income (what we can raise) and our expenditure (what we need to spend) with costs continuing to rise is simply not sustainable. We have been in a period of financial review for nearly two years, including seeking specialist external advice, and although we always hoped it would not be necessary to make such changes, with the economic climate as it is, our Board of Trustees concluded that there was no viable alternative other than to proceed in the way proposed.
Although these closures will make a difference in terms of our day to day running costs, we continue to need your support so anything you can give at this time would be greatly appreciated. You can read more information over on our website.
Thank you so much everyone for your understanding and support as always. We have been overwhelmed by your kind messages, suggestions and donations, and we are so very grateful. We're incredibly sorry to bring you such sad news.
