18/06/2026
Long post warning…
I wanted to give a bit of an honest update about where Animal Cwtch is at right now.
Firstly, thank you.
I am genuinely so proud of what we have built.
When I started Animal Cwtch, I never imagined we would become known across South Wales, working with so many schools, ALN settings, care homes, businesses, community groups and families. I’m incredibly proud of the reputation we’ve built for being inclusive, welfare-first, educational and relationship-led. We don’t just turn up with animals. We build relationships. We get to know people. We adapt sessions. We support nervous children. We work hard to make sure both people and animals feel safe.
That means the world to me.
The reality though is that we are now running very close to capacity. We are now closed to all booking before summer holidays.
Even in the summer
All weekends are booked.
All full days are booked.
Most of the summer is booked.
I do still have some availability, but it is becoming increasingly limited. Most bookings now need to fit around existing work, so it may be a morning before another job, an afternoon after another job, an evening visit, or a smaller slot on a day where we’re already working nearby. Realistically, availability is becoming much easier closer to Swansea than further afield.
So please still get in touch, but I do want to be honest that flexibility is becoming very limited.
I know some people will read this and wonder why we don’t simply add more bookings or take on more work.
The truth is that I have looked at every option. I’ve checked in with the team, looked at additional availability, looked at what we can realistically deliver whilst maintaining our welfare standards and the quality of experience people expect from us, and at the moment we are genuinely close to our limit.
The animals always come first so rotating animals is important that get enough rest. Animal Cwtch has never been about squeezing as many bookings as possible into the diary. The reason people come back to us is because we take our time, we build relationships, we adapt to people’s needs, and we put both animal welfare and visitor experience first.
I also know I’ve had a lot of requests recently for meetings, collaborations and partnerships. I absolutely love that people want to work with us and there are so many exciting opportunities I’d love to explore. Unfortunately, I simply don’t have the time right now to spend hours travelling to meetings. Happy to circle back if I get downtime after summer.
Most days I’m out delivering sessions, then coming home to several more hours of admin, event planning, policies, paperwork, training, staff management, emails, messages and everything else that comes with running a business. Alongside that there are over 100 animals to care for, four children to raise, and a house renovation that still feels far from finished.
If I’m completely honest, I’m feeling more burnt out than I usually do this early in the summer. I hurt more, I cry more, but I get up, put a smile on my face and bring the energy.
I still have moments almost every day that remind me why I do this. Watching a child overcome a fear. Seeing someone hold a snake for the first time. Hearing that a school wants us back year after year. Watching our team create magical moments for people. Seeing children and adults who don’t always feel included find a place where they feel safe, welcome and understood.
Yesterday I was at peak, “I don’t think I can keep doing this” mode, but I went to a job and an older gentleman said, “This is the best day of my life” and in that moment I remembered why I do this. We taught him to do a selfie with Penny on his head and he held his first snake and had an owl on the glove. I really needed that yesterday.
So, I came home, spent time with animals, including looking after babies (more on that to come), and did admin, and zoology slides until early hours and now get up to do it all again, that single sentence was enough to get me though the rest of the day.
Those moments are still there and they still matter.
But I also know that the current pace isn’t sustainable forever.
At some point over the next year, I need to really look at what Animal Cwtch becomes next. How we grow sustainably. How we protect our animals, our team, our family life and the things that make Animal Cwtch special in the first place.
If you’ve messaged me recently and I’m slower than usual, please bear with me. If I haven’t replied, give me a gentle nudge. I promise I’m not ignoring you. There are simply more messages, enquiries, jobs and demands than I can comfortably keep up with right now. We don’t have a receptionist or a professional for that matter, you have me, managing my admin in the early hours as that is what I have the ability to give.
Please also remember that because I’m profoundly deaf, I can’t take phone calls. Email, text, WhatsApp are always the best way to reach me. If you’ve called and not had a response, it’s not me being rude – I genuinely can’t use the phone and I am likely working.
Thank you for your patience, your support, your recommendations, your bookings, and for helping Animal Cwtch become something far bigger than I ever imagined.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a to-do list longer than a python and at least one owl silently judging my life choices. Plus a baby to feed.
