Hillside Animal Sanctuary

Hillside Animal Sanctuary, based in Frettenham, Norwich, is the United Kingdom's largest home for animals removed from their owners by the direct action of animal rights activists. The vegan-run sanctuary is staffed by volunteers and was established by Wendy Valentine. The santuary is funded entirely on public donations.

Formation
Valentine formed the sanctuary in 1995 after she witnessed the farming of battery hens, and has since helped and campaigned for and on behalf of animals. She is quoted as saying Hillside's aim is to: Help and campaign for animals in need and to bring public awareness to the millions of animals suffering every day in the intensive factory farming industry.

Today
Hillside is now home to over 900 rescued animals including horses, donkeys, cows, bulls, goats, sheep, ducks and chickens. and claims to be "one of the UK's most successful campaigning organisations for the animals' cause."

Undercover investigations
Hillside investigative staff have carried out extensive undercover filming to highlight cases of alleged animal abuse within the farming industry. In 2006, two employees of Bernard Matthews Beck Farm in Felthorpe, near Norwich, both admitted ill treatment of animals after they were secretly filmed beating turkeys with metal poles held like baseball bats. The case was brought to court by the RSPCA and the two men were found guilty. The court's sentence was 200 hours community service. Later that same year undercover video footage was again taken by Hillside staff at Cherrydene Farm at Bergh Apton, Norfolk (which produces for MFD Foods Ltd.) and uncovered animal abuse. The farm was a member of the animal welfare led Freedom Foods an initative supposedly being monitored by the RSPCA. Footage showed animals kept in squalid conditions and ducks being punched, picked up by the neck and kicked. The farm has since been sold and closed down.

Television
Hillside features in a number of forthcoming television programmes, including Channel 4's It's Me or the Dog, BBC Three's The Baby Borrowers and the BBC Two programme Escape to the Country which has an episode dedicated to Hillside.

Wendy Valentine
Valentine is the founder of Hillside Animal Sanctuary and the Redwings Horse Sanctuary in Norfolk. In 2005 she was cautioned by police over a protest she staged in the city centre of Hanford. She scattered six dead turkeys just days before Christmas to highlight the conditions they were kept in.