Saving Animals Together since 1983

Bird flu in Essex: Our birds are now in lockdown and we need your help

November 17, 2025

Important Update: Our Birds Are Entering “Flockdown”

From 00:01 on Thursday 6th November 2025, the government announced that mandatory housing measures for birds will be extended across the whole of England because of Avian Flu. This means that our feathered residents have now entered “flockdown” in line with these new restrictions. When visiting, you’ll notice disinfectant foot dips by the entrance – these must be used by all visitors to help us keep our birds safe from disease. We’re currently working incredibly hard to build extensions to our birds’ indoor areas so they can still enjoy time outside in covered aviaries that meet the new biosecurity guidelines. If any local businesses would like to donate materials, or if any volunteers are available to help us get these areas built, we would be so grateful – please email office@hopefield.org.uk ASAP.

Unfortunately, like many other charities, we’re feeling the financial strain. While our Halloween Festival was a huge success and enjoyed by everyone who came, our visitor numbers were down 32% compared to last year. On top of that, our month-long closure in June for emergency repair works resulted in a loss of almost £100,000 in visitor income. We now have these renovations to all of our bird areas to complete – it’s a constant battle. As we head into winter, we’re doing everything we can to protect our animals – but we really need your support.If you’d like to help us fund the building of new, safe outdoor areas for our birds, please consider donating via our JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/hopefieldflockdown

Every penny, every share, and every visit really does make a HUGE difference to us. Thank you, as always, for standing by us – we truly couldn’t do it without you