Help Bird Sanctuary Relocate & Expand

We have set up this page to help open a vegan sanctuary for wild, farmed and disabled birds. Sacred Space is a group of friends and rescuers who collectively run a vegan bird and wildlife rescue together in the UK from their collective homes.

Since 2005 we have been 100% committed to helping wild, farmed and persecuted birds. Over the past fifteen years we've had the honour of providing a safe haven for all kinds birds; from beautiful pigeons, majestic crows, wonderful songbirds as well as ex battery hens and our lovely male turkey Joey who we saved from slaughter before Christmas of 2018.  Each year we are seeing an increasing number of rescues who all stay in our  homes with us.

This year alone we have easily tripled the amount of rescues brought to us and we are increasingly finding ourselves out of space, we are having to work with other local rescues (who are also at capacity) to help us in the care that is needed. 

Since we began rescuing birds we've always had the goal to have own our own vegan sanctuary with land, this would allow us to dramatically increase the amount of farmed and wild birds we can save and increase the quality of care we can provide for each precious soul. We believe all birds and animals deserve respect and a life free from fear. It's our mission to not only rescue birds but to educate people on about farmed birds and what to do if they find an injured bird.

What We Do Each Day

Each bird who stays with us has there own individual needs, some stay with us for a short while while and are able to be released whilst others are unreleasable. In the absence of a better home with similar birds these disabled birds become permanent residents with us. We are contacted each day about different kinds of birds with different injuries and ailments, these little guys sometimes need constant care, vet trips and medication which we fund ourselves. All this treatment is carried out from our homes but in order for us to make a bigger difference we need your support to bring all of our rescues to in one safe and central location. 

We have recently opened Sacred Space; a vegan cafe in Hebden Bridge  to help support the cost of food, medicine, vet bills and to save for our goal of owning our own sanctuary. However, we cannot reach this goal alone, this is why we are asking for your help to make this dream a reality. 

We know we are asking for a big sum but with your help we will be able to rescue literally hundreds of commercially farmed birds from slaughter each year, we would also have rehoming days for ex farmed birds.  We will also have aviary space for and wild birds every year, releasable and none releasable; giving them a safe place where they will always be loved and looked after. 

What We Need

One of the biggest problems that we have found collectively over the last few years is the lack of space dedicated solely to birds who either take a long time to rehabilitate (birds with neurological issues, birds requiring physiotherapy etc) or even more so birds who are unreleasable but who can adjust to a life in a sanctuary - with space built specifically for their needs, carers for their specials needs, people to check on them regularly, give them medication/ hand feeding etc.

In order to rescue more birds and to cater for disabled birds we really require land which we can build upon and adapt.  We will be building large open avairys as well specialised avairys  for disabled birds. We will also be building a critical hospital wing for birds with severe injuries who need to be isolated from the rest whilst they recover. We will all be living on site to ensure together we can provide round clock care for everyone.

Why We Do What We Do

The first rescue by Sacred Space was all the way back in 2005 by Mel and her sister Em rescued a baby sparrow who fell from her nest they named her Mortimer (Mort For for short). Though she was only the size of 50 pence piece, this little soul made an monumental impact and remains our constant inspiration for a lifetime of rescuing.

They raised Mort from a one day old hatchling and learned all about the vulnerability, intelligence and individual personalities of all living things directly from her. Mort is the reason that we both turned vegan and she changed our entire lives.

After rescuing Mort, Mel & Em both started finding the occasional bird in need and over time people began bringing them birds who needed help.  They quickly learned that most vets will not treat wild birds, especially if they need ongoing care - this is when we decided they were going to have to learn how to do this themselves.

Mel trained as a volunteer at her local wildlife rescue and learned invaluable things that we all implement to this day.  However, Mel also discovered even this wildlife rescue would put nestling birds to sleep or any bird with a disabilities or extra needs. It is from this moment that we have become invested in looking after disabled birds and if we are able to hit our target this will be one of the first things we set up.

We are also extremely passionate about rescuing and adopting ex farmed birds such as turkeys. over the years we have been lucky to have lived with many of these beautiful birds and they are intelligent, social and loving animals. Sadly commercially farmed birds are still  bred for human consumption which means they have inevitable illnesses that their breeding brings - we want Sacred Space rescue to be a place that these amazing birds can live out their lives with the love and respect that they each deserve.

Who We Are

Since the initial conception of Sacred Space rescue it has now grown into five friends (Mel, Em, Chris, Lisa and Jack)who all work relentlessly and passionately for the protection, rehabilitation and care of so many birds. We have even opened up our new vegan cafe to support this but in reality we know that if we want to save more lives we need more than our current limited space.

All current members of staff at Sacred Space have been brought together, bound by a desire to help the natural world of birds - which is struggling due to human interference.

We are all vegan  (for the animals) and believe birds are the one of the most persecuted animals on this planet - the second most killed sentient being after fish.

So in brief we are seeking funding for land and a house for a safe sacred space for disabled, farmed and wild birds.

We get brought so many rescues and people want to donate and we stopped and thought one day about what we REALLY need if we want to make the MAXIMUM impact that we can - and this is it.

Infinite love to you all and thank you so much for reading our story.

The Sacred Space Sanctuary