'We got charity status the same week as eviction notice - now we might have to close'

An animal shelter could be at risk of closure if it is not able to find a new home in the next few months. Elise Bradley set up Safe Haven Animal Rescue with her mum Angela in 2017, originally with the aim of helping one creature in need per month. But over the past eight years, she says it has “grown and grown” into what it is today and is currently home to 32 animals – including horses, pigs sheep, chickens, and feral cats.

It also has an additional number of smaller animals that are in foster homes. But, the same week as the rescue learned it had been granted charitable status, it was also served with an eviction notice, leaving it on the brink of closure. The pair, who are both from Erith, first started the shelter at a field in Orpington , but were told to leave that site around two years ago.



In August 2023, they moved to their current location in Shelleys Lane in Knockholt . Elise, who is 26 and works part-time at a doctor’s surgery, explained: “We haven’t been here for that long. “We were originally told that it would be long-term, so we’ve put a lot of time, money, and effort into building it up, as it was just a field before we got here.

“But unfortunately, the landowners' circumstances have changed, so we now have to move again by the end of summer. “Our current landowners have been really, really good to us and really helpful, especially over this time. “I just don’t know where we’re going to go next or how we’re even going to do it.

” Due to the size of the animals at its site, the rescue is looking for a new home that is at least 10 acres. It will also need to have water access, perimeter fencing, and ideally stables and electricity. “We haven’t found anywhere suitable yet,” Elise added.

“Even things like hiring vans to move the animals in is so expensive.” The rescue is hoping to find a site in either south east London or in north Kent, and is considering areas like Dartford , Sevenoaks and Swanley. It has set up a GoFundMe online fundraising page with a target of £2,400 to pay for the move, which will include transport, storage, and rent costs.

Donations can be made here . Elise says she is worried about what the future might hold for the rescue if it is unable to secure a suitable new site. She said: “At the moment, the rescue is really at risk.

‘We’d literally just been given our charity status on the same week we got our eviction notice, so it was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster being given all the difficult news. “We started the rescue with all of the horses and the pigs and the sheep, and if we have to give that up I don’t know if there will be a future for the rescue. “But as much as times like this can be really difficult and make us wonder why we do it, knowing that we’re making a difference is the most rewarding feeling we could ever ask for”.

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