JONATHON HILL speaks to Mary Frankland – who runs Dean Farm Animal Sanctuary in Monmouthshire.

In 2004 Mary Frankland said she was “filled with guilt” after seeing documentaries showing the “horrors of animal farming” before animals were taken to be slaughtered for meat.

She was a big meat-eater herself, and regularly wore leather clothing and bought accessories which included animal products, she admits.

“I realised as a consumer I was a huge part of the problem,” she said. “I wasn’t looking to change my lifestyle, I just happened to watch the documentaries and it created a really uncomfortable upset inside me.”

At the time Ms Frankland was working in Bristol and was well into a busy career in recruitment.

She recalls feeling “burnt out” and “ready for a career change”, and knew she was interested in a career in charity work.

HENS: Mary Frankland with some of more than 80 former battery hens she has homed. Pictures: christinsleyphotography.co.uk

The documentaries stirred her passion in animal welfare, and she immediately stopped eating meat and buying animal products, and spent many days sifting through the web at the library to find out more about how animals were exploited for meat.

“I didn’t have a computer at the time, so I was always in the library trying to learn more," she said.

“I regularly used PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), Viva! and Animal Aid material to learn more, and I went to sanctuaries like Hillside Animal Sanctuary in Norfolk – at the time I found it one of the most impressive animal sanctuaries in the country.

“It was terribly upsetting at times to learn about the suffering caused but I also found it inspiring and motivational.

“I could either turn away and pretend I hadn’t seen what I had seen, or I could take individual responsibility and try and do my bit.”

Ms Frankland has done much more than just a “bit” over the last 15 years.

She “gave up everything” to move to Forest of Dean in 2004, setting up her own business to fund her new-found dream of creating an animal sanctuary similar to those that had inspired her.

“I had a sense of direction because I knew I wanted to go into animal charity work, but I had been warned that it would be very difficult to get it off the ground without serious funding," she said.

“I decided I needed to use my background in recruitment to fund the sanctuary, and I set up my own consultancy business in Coleford.”

SAFE: Mary Frankland with Tina the turkey

Fifteen years on and Dean Healthcare is now “all but running itself” with the input of four directors, but Ms Frankland admits it has been a “gruelling time”.

“I gave up a pretty comfortable life in Bristol, quit my job and moved to a one-bedroom house in the Forest of Dean,” she said.

“For years it felt like I was working 24 hours a day for seven days a week.

“It took its toll on my emotions but I had to keep reminding myself that it was nothing compared to what animals were suffering and continue to suffer.”

In 2012 Ms Frankland’s sacrifices began to pay off when she moved to Monmouthshire with her partner and set up Dean Farm Trust from their home with a modest piece of land.

In 2016 the sanctuary moved to its new site in Shirenewton with 46 rescued animals.

The land now amounts to 72 acres and consists of 210 animals, including miniature Shetland ponies, pigs, donkeys, sheep, cows, goats and ex-battery hens – all saved from a deadly fate and given a caring home for life.

She runs the sanctuary with the help of her partner, a handful of dedicated staff, and a host of volunteers.

Such is the success of the sanctuary that Ms Frankland is hoping it will soon be able to stand on its own feet.

She has met the council to discuss exciting plans for the sanctuary and what it can offer the local community and the wider region.

She has also offered visitor days, which have become increasingly popular.

“We hope we can provide an enjoyable experience and plenty of interesting information, where we promote compassion," she said.

“We hope we can provide an enjoyable experience and plenty of interesting information, whilst promoting compassion over cruelty.

“We want to provide a space where people can interact with the animals and go away feeling closer to them than they may have done before they arrived.

“We’re regularly getting visitors from around Monmouthshire, including school children and meat-eaters.

Mary Frankland who runs Dean Farm Trust with Donny and Clive, the first animals at the sanctuary. Picture: www.christinsleyphotography.co.uk

“That’s great because we want everyone to feel welcome."

She might not be aiming to push an agenda on her visitors, but it is clear her sanctuary is having an influence.

“I’ve seen people in tears here when they come into contact with the animals on a more intimate level after learning about what their fate would have been if we hadn’t brought them here,” she added.

“It’s very rewarding and it’s at those times I am reminded that we are much more than just an ethical farm.”

SANCTUARY: Mary Frankland with Linky the micro pig

More visitor days are in the pipeline, with plans for events from April through to September as well as guided visits and a special Mothers’ Day event.

“We are not quite in the position to take lots of people for visits, but we are hoping to be and we are grateful for the interest we are receiving.

“It just shows how much awareness of animal welfare is increasing in Monmouthshire and around the world.”

To stay updated with events at Dean Farm Animal Sanctuary, visit the website at https://deanfarmtrust.org.uk.