URGENT! North East Animal Sanctuary under threat!

An animal sanctuary in Willington, County Durham is under threat of closure! This would mean the loss of 45 acres of land and the destruction of the animals looked after at the sanctuary by Paula Campbell. She needs to raise £25,000 in just less than 2 weeks or she will be evicted and the sanctuary and animals lost.
A benefit is being held at the Angel Inn pub on Tuesday (22nd July) by local band Diablo 66 in an attempt to raise some of the money needed to save this sanctuary.

It's a lot of money to raise in a short amount of time, but IT IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE!! As one member of the band said to me last night "If everyone just does something, tries their best then we'll be able to save it". The same goes for almost anything.

Newcastle Animal Rights will be in contact with Paula Campbell and are hoping that people will get in touch with messages of support and, hopefully, donations. Please contact   This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it if you have questions or suggestions regarding this situation.

Please spread the message. We need to do all we can to save this place!


Taken from the Journal newspaper.

Widow’s desperate stunt to save animal sanctuary
Jul 18 2008 by Neil Mckay, The Journal


An animal sanctuary boss is planning to chain herself to the Angel of the North, dressed as a chicken today, in a desperate attempt to save more than 300 rescue animals.

Mother-of-four Paula Campbell, 42, fears her animals may have to be destroyed if she is evicted from the sanctuary she has run for almost six years at Milkup Bank Farm, Willington, near Crook, County Durham.

Mrs Campbell, a widow, has been managing to feed her menagerie including horses, goats, dogs, feral cats, canaries, Shetland ponies, ducks, geese, chickens, pigeons and other species at her sanctuary, called Rainbow Ark, against the odds.

She is currently in a costly wrangle with a firm of surveyors over a previous property she sold, which she claims was severely undervalued.

And she faces eviction from the 45-acre holding unless she can find £25,000 within two weeks.

Mrs Campbell said: “Desperate times call for desperate measures. I am perfectly sane – not some sort of eccentric – but I have reached the end of my tether.

“If I am evicted from here and these animals are destroyed, it will destroy me too. People bring unwanted animals here from all over Britain. Recently I was given some husky dogs from London to look after, while one morning I noticed extra birds in the pigeon sheds.

“Somebody had actually broken in and left some more pigeons for me to look after.

“It costs me £1,100 a week to feed the animals, which I do not resent. You come onto this Earth with nothing and you leave with nothing – but right now I do need some urgent help.

“I decided to chain myself to the Angel of the North because I am in need of help from a guardian angel, and I need to publicise the plight of the animals.

“The sanctuary is not only a haven for animals – children from the area also visit Rainbow Ark, including disabled youngsters. I would rather die than leave here. I have put my heart and soul into this place,” said Mrs Campbell.

Rainbow Ark Animal Sanctuary also has a separate area known as Durham Dales Ferret Rescue, where more than 20 ferrets are cared for.

“Ferrets may not be cuddly like cats and dogs but they are also living creatures,” said Mrs Campbell, who took a farm management course at college and is also a talented artist and author.

She has written a children’s book called Norah A. Chicken and is offering some of her artwork for sale. Norah A. Chicken can be bought online for £5.99 from penpress.co.uk

The sanctuary can be contacted on (01388) 745380.

I would rather die than leave here. I have put my heart and soul into this place


For pictures, see  http://www.journallive.co.uk/videos-pictures-north-east/pictures-north-east/2008/07/18/gallery-rainbow-arc-animal-sanctuary-61634-21364766/

Animal Activist
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