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The Donkey Sanctuary An incomparable, magical and unique venue for your wedding

1 | WEDDINGS & SERVICES - Exclusive Ethical Wedding Venue AWARD

Awards

Awards

The Donkey Sanctuary An incomparable, magical and unique venue for your wedding

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Receiving this Award is a milestone for The Donkey Sanctuary and not only serves as a seal of approval to prospective clients, but also forms the final piece of the jigsaw that confirms the Venues’ success.

Slade House Farm in Sidmouth is the founding site of the wellknown animal welfare charity The Donkey Sanctuary. Established in 1969 by Dr Elisabeth Svendsen, MBE, the Sanctuary continues to provide over 6,200 donkeys with a loving home.

As a Sanctuary, Slade House Farm has a very welcoming atmosphere that allows everyone who visits to feel comfortable and at home. Some may even suggest that this could mean the perfect place for a wedding!

By holding your wedding at The Donkey Sanctuary you would be helping donkeys around the world, as well as the millions of people that rely on these beautiful

2 | WEDDINGS & SERVICES

With all of these wonderful things on offer there is no question as to why The Donkey Sanctuary won the ‘Ethical Wedding Venue of the Year Award 2015’. Couples that have tied the knot at this brilliant venue have described it as “…a five star wedding.”

Here at the Weddings & Services Magazine we spoke to the Wedding Coordinator at The Donkey Sanctuary, Claire Shapcott. She told us a bit about how herself and the amazing team at the Donkey Sanctuary felt about getting the award.

Secures Top Award for the Donkey Sanctuary t gives us great pleasure to announce that Devon-based The Donkey Sanctuary, has been carefully selected to receive the Award for Exclusive Ethical Venue of the year 2015.

large enough for all of your guests and any four-legged ones that might sneak in!

animals. With the chance for your guests to meet some of the rescued donkeys and even the possibility of having them as your bridesmaids, you can get in touch with the animals that you will be helping across the globe.

The venues available onsite are just as appealing. You could enjoy your ceremony in a luxurious intimate room with a private garden, or, take advantage of your setting and get married in a stable! If a stable isn’t big enough for your big day that isn’t a problem though, a barn with rustic chic decorations and an atmosphere to match should be

“Here at The Donkey Sanctuary we are thrilled to receive an award for being an ethical wedding venue, we love donkeys and weddings so to be able to combine the two and give couples a unique and special day is a dream come true for us.

“Since gaining our ceremony license last year [2014] we have helped fourteen couples make their donkey wedding dreams come true and we have enjoyed every single moment of each one.”

Since then this amazing charity has also proven itself on being a venue that is just as amazing,

even making bookings ready for 2015! Couples that have already said their ‘I do’s’ said that it was “…all the little details that made the day so much more than we expected.”

It’s all of the little details that make a donkey’s life great too.

These humble animals are used for working across the world and they don’t always receive the treatment that they deserve.

That’s where The Donkey Sanctuary steps in. They are an internationally recognised animal welfare charity that operates projects in 27 countries, along with being one of the largest equine charities in the UK. Over the 45 years that The Donkey Sanctuary have been running, they have rescued over 16,500 donkeys, with 500 of these at Slade Farm. By choosing this as your wedding venue you would be helping each donkey have the guarantee of a lifetime of love and happiness. Wedding Coordinator Claire wanted to emphasize this to any couples viewing The Donkey Sanctuary as a prospective venue.

“Not only do couples get a wedding like no other by getting married here but they can also feel good knowing that by choosing us as their venue they are helping donkeys and the communities that rely on them all around the world!”

It might not just be donkeys that you help either. In addition to the welfare work with donkeys, Dr Svendsen was a passionate believer in riding therapy for children with additional needs.

Not only did this amazing woman establish The Donkey Sanctuary but within this included Donkey Assisted Therapy work, giving children with additional needs the chance and opportunity to have contact with and ride donkeys are six purpose built centres throughout the UK. The work undertaken and achieved by Dr Svendsen is truly amazing, with the legacy that she created still going strong today.

The award of ‘Ethical Wedding Venue of the Year’ is a great gift to a really terrific charity. A last word from the team at encourages you to think about the benefits of having your wedding at The Donkey Sanctuary.

“By joining us you will be guaranteed a unique and ethical wedding venue, sharing your special day in the company of adorable donkeys who’ve found refuge from neglect and hardship in the lush Devon countryside – and helping to protect the lives of many more.”

Please visit www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk or call 01395 578222

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