Hi, I’m Helen ❤️
We’ve had lots of new followers recently, so I wanted to reintroduce who we are and what we do at Furry Friends.
Furry Friends was founded in 2017 by myself and my sister, Emma, and while I now run the day-to-day side, Emma still contributes a huge amount dynamically behind the scenes and remains a really important part of everything we do, she also keeps a lot of the ponies at hers too.
I run Furry Friends alongside my full-time professional job. I do this because I see the benefits it brings to people and because it helps give our animals the very best life possible. I’m super busy, but I genuinely love it.
At Furry Friends, we bring so much happiness through gentle, animal-assisted visits to care homes, community groups and events. Our animals create smiles, spark conversation and bring calm and comfort wherever they go.
We are fully licensed by the local council under an Animal Exhibition & Welfare Licence, which means we are inspected and regulated and must follow strict standards. This includes detailed policies and procedures, risk assessments, animal care plans, hygiene measures and welfare monitoring to ensure the wellbeing of both our animals and the people we visit.
Only a small, carefully selected group of animals take part in visits. Many of our animals don’t do Furry Friends at all — they simply enjoy living a happy, relaxed life at home, just as animals should.
Our animals are never forced to take part. Visits are short, animals are rotated, and welfare always comes first.
After staff are paid, I don’t take anything personally. Any money raised goes straight back into caring for the animals — covering feed, bedding, veterinary care and everyday costs. This is about love, care and doing the right thing, not profit.
We have the most fantastic carefully selected staff and volunteers who assist while out on visits. We truly couldn’t do it without them!
