Ayrshire woman raisses funds for Oz santuary

Feb 27 2009 by Lizzie Struthers, Irvine Herald

ANIMAL activist Flora Fleming is trying to raise donations for an Australian sanctuary working to rescue injured wildlife in the aftermath of the bush fires.

Flora, of the charity Cat 77 Ayrshire, has been sending messages of support to Edgar’s Mission near Melbourne, run by her friend Pam Ahern.

The Kilmarnock woman has visited the Oz sanctuary twice in the past few years to do voluntary work. Flora’s daughter Alexis Lacy along with her husband Michael have also done voluntary work at the sanctuary.

Edgar’s Mission is a not-for-profit organisation which rescues neglected or abandoned animals. Among its residents are three pigs, called Daisy, Lily and Alice, who starred in the film Charlotte’s Web.

Five fire crews fought back the flames to save the sanctuary and its animals.

“It was a very worrying time,” said Flora. “I felt so helpless. I was only able to send emails of support to Pam.

“It was typical of Pam that at no time did they contemplate leaving the animals at the sanctuary in order to save themselves.”

Flora says Pam feels so fortunate that the sanctuary escaped the fires.

Volunteers at the sanctuary are now working round-the-clock to save animals injured or left homeless by the fires.

Said Flora: “In Pam’s search, she came across some apparently uninjured kangaroos but then soon after she saw the horror of a whole mob of kangaroos that had not been so lucky.”

Flora is encouraging people to make a donation towards the sanctuary’s work by visiting www.edgarsmission.org.au

To make a donation visit the ‘how to help’ section on the website.