HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2016-07-28, Page 12PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016.
Wingham native opens horse rescue near Westfield
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FIELDS OF GLORY
EQUINEArADDOPTION
Ili! REHABILITATION FARM
519-523 -4574
VISITORS BY APPT ONLY
Open for business
Fields of Glory equine adoption and rehabilitation farm is now open for business on London
Road between Blyth and Belgrave thanks to the hard work of Wingham native Brenda Hull.
The location aims to rehabilitate horses that have been injured or were destined for slaughter.
Here, Hull's sons Bryce, left, and Victor, are seen with one such horse, which was destined for
slaughter but was rescued by the farm. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
A new horse rescue operation on
London Road just south of Belgrave
is officially opening its doors to the
public, as well as looking for some
donations to help towards its life-
saving work for area animals.
Fields of Glory equine adoption
and rehabilitation farm is now open
after several years of work on the
area farm when Brenda Hull and her
sons Victor and Bryce moved to the
community just three years ago.
Hull is a Wingham native and the
fifth generation in a horse -racing
family, learning to steer horses with
the help of her father when she was
seven years old.
From her earliest years, Hull says
she spent all of her time in the barn
with her father and the family's
horses. Eventually she began
working with thoroughbreds at race
tracks, eventually grooming and
training them, racing in Toronto and
Florida.
After working with some of the
top people in the horse industry, Hull
said she decided to leave the racing
world behind in 1999 when she
moved to London, Ontario and
worked for the local chapter of the
Humane Society for a short while.
During that time, Hull said she
missed working with horses and
wanted to put her knowledge of
working with abused animals
together with her life-long
knowledge of horses, so she opened
a horse rescue farm in London in
2000.
"I have rescued many, many
horses and ponies over the past 15
years, sometimes caring for as many
as 21 at a time. Many small animals
have also been rescued along the
way and have been given the
compassion and care they need as
well," she said.
Whether it's horses destined for
slaughter or animals that have been
neglected or discarded locally, Hull
says she has opened the doors of her
barn to many animals over the years,
bringing them back from injury or
near -death.
Currently at Hull's London Road
farm, she has eight horses, three of
which are ponies, as well as a
handful of other animals.
Hull's sons, who both attend
school in Wingham, are a big part of
what happens at the rescue says their
mom. They work with the horses and
do chores and spend a lot of their
summers in the barn working with
their mother alongside horses that
have been rescued.
Hull says that what the rescue
does is multi -faceted and good for
all parties involved. Of course,
there's the rescuing of animals that
the farm does, but Hull hopes that it
will create opportunities for people
throughout the community get up
close and personal with horses,
without the heavy financial burden
that often comes with horse
ownership.
The farm has always offered a
sponsorship program for the horses
where residents can spend time with
a horse, brush it, show it affection
and even ride it for a relatively low
cost of donation.
Hull says she's also looking for
volunteers who would be interested
in spending time with the horses,
working with them and assisting her
in fundraising for the venture. One
of the farm's first projects is a yard
sale fundraiser and Hull is currently
looking for garage sale items that
could be donated to the cause that
could be reinvested to the project.
There is also a "wish list" for the
farm that involves items local
farmers could donate if they were so
inclined, such as hay, straw or grain,
to name a few.
The rescue, which is located at
84287 London Road, will be open
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through
Saturday by appointment at 519-
523-4574.
Our hospital, our future campaign hits lofty goal
The finish line
Those behind the ambitious Our Hospital, Our Future campaign celebrated last week by
surpassing its lofty $4.5 million. The campaign began last summer and the money was raised
in just around one year thanks to the hard work and generosity of many businesses and
service clubs in the community. (Photo submitted)
The Wingham and District
Hospital Foundation's Our Hospital,
Our Future campaign has
successfully achieved and surpassed
its $4 million fundraising goal
wrapping up the campaign with just
over $4.5 million. The campaign
began in the summer of 2015 to
support the major redevelopment of
the Wingham and District Hospital
(WDH). Thanks to the generous
contributions of many local
businesses and individuals the $4
million goal was achieved in just
over a year.
There were many individuals who
assisted with the fundraising efforts
but the individuals who comprised
the campaign team were especially
instrumental and deserve the credit
for the campaign success. Campaign
team members Andy McBride, Scott
Miller, Ian Montgomery, Bernie
Bailey, Steve Tiffin, Jenny
Hogervorst, Bart Cameron and
Campaign Chair Mark Foxton all
gave countless hours and endless
energy to ensure the success of the
campaign and the Hospital
redevelopment project.
Foxton announced the final
fundraising total of $4,500,000 at a
celebration event on July 21. During
the announcement he said, "We all
believe in safeguarding quality
healthcare for the people of
Wingham, and all of Huron
County". Foxton believes a modern,
quality hospital is necessary to
attract businesses and the young
families that keep our communities
vibrant and viable. Foxton
concluded by celebrating the $4.5
million total and looking forward to
the "amazing years ahead with
See histories and
historic photographs
on the Huron History
section of our website
www. northhuron.on.ca
people in our community can stay
close to home for critical healthcare
services".
The $4 million fundraising goal
has been surpassed, but the entire
combined hospital redevelopment
project will total over $17 million
with less than $6 million of the
funding coming from the Ministry of
Health and Long Term Care.
The remainder will come from
local sources and traditional loan
financing. To that end, the WDH
Foundation will still accept
contributions towards the campaign
and the redevelopment project. Any
additional donations received will
reduce the debt load and help the
hospital maintain a more stable
Continued on page 15
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