'It's soul destroying' - Storm Awren demolishes charity's pony shelters in Cornwall

A charity dedicated to rescuing abandoned ponies from Dartmoor, Exmoor and Bodmin has been badly affected by the recent stormy weather.

On Friday 26 November, Storm Arwen destroyed two pony shelters at the Bodmin Moorland Pony Rehabilitation centre.

It took just 30 minutes for the 60mph winds to flatten the buildings on Friday morning - just two weeks after they were built.

Shelley Oldfield, the charity's manager, was shocked by what happened:

She said: "It's devastating. It really is. Words can't express. You know, we try so hard for those ponies and it's soul destroying. It really is quite soul destroying."

This is the second time in 11 months that the shelters have been flattened by bad weather. Credit: Shelley Oldfield

The rehabilitation charity was set up in 2014. Shelley and her small team of volunteers look after abandoned and sick moorland ponies. They rehabilitate them until the ponies are healthy enough to be re-homed.

But the ordeal, Shelley said, was traumatising for the vulnerable animals: "They were really very unsettled.

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"That was what worried me more than anything - was seeing them running around and not knowing what was going on.

"We've just been working to get them back into a quiet routine, and just helping them in whatever way we can."

Shelley currently has 13 ponies in her care at the rehabilitation centre. Credit: ITV West Country

This is not the first time the Bodmin Moorland Pony Rehabilitation charity has been affected by bad weather.

In 2020, Shelley secured funding to build two shelters in December. But they were only up for 10 days when another storm destroyed them just after Christmas.

The team are now looking at other options and building material which are stronger and more durable. Shelley added: "No matter how sturdy they're built, I think this design is going to struggle.

"We are currently looking at tunnel shaped shelters and steel framed shelters, in order to have the weight and shape behind them to keep them safe in future."

Shelley says it is 'heartwarming' that so many people are supporting the fundraising campaign. Credit: ITV West Country

It costs around £25,000 a year to rehabilitate the ponies and run the centre. Now, the charity is faces spending thousands more on new shelters. Shelley decided to start a JustGiving fundraiser and has already received more than £2,000.

She said: "We have the most incredible supporters via social media from all over the world. It is just incredibly heart-warming that people want to support our work and our ponies in that way."

While the past few days have been extremely stressful for Shelley, she is hopeful that through the kindness of others, the ponies will soon have somewhere safe to stay once again.