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Sad day for sanctuary
HEDGEHOG: Joan Scott of Selby Animal Sanctuary with her Hedgehog. (L3892TS) Picture: Tony Saxton
MEMBERS of the community have aired their disappointment after the closure of the well-respected Selby Animal Sanctuary.
The sanctuary shut down after 23 years as a registered charity, and a focal point for animal care in the area.
Founder Joan Scott, 93, is now being looked after by carers and is therefore unable to take animals in anymore.
The closure is of great sadness to Annette Pyrah, who runs the Selby Wildlife Trust.
She said: “It’s quite upsetting that the sanctuary has closed after over 20 years.
“I feel really sad for Joan and I actually offered to take over the place but the trustees preferred to close it.
“The place was a long-standing part of the community and it’s a real shame to see it go.”
Staff at the sanctuary were told that they would be losing their jobs whilst the phone number for the centre was stopped, meaning donations stopped coming in.
The result was a drop in money being donated, leading to the inevitable closure.
George Greenhough, a former trustee, says that the perilous finances of the sanctuary were its eventual downfall.
He said: “I joined as a treasurer but the sanctuary eventually ran out of money.
“The place did leave legacies but towards the end it wasn’t financially viable except from Joan funding it herself - which I didn’t entirely agree with.”
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Weather for Selby
Tuesday 21 May 2013
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 9 C to 14 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 4 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: North west
