Ernie and Paula both gave up their jobs to look after the animals that so badly needed them. They soon moved to a piece of land in Langdon Hills and were there for 3 years. Hopefield was still growing so they knew it wouldn’t be too long until they had to move to an even bigger piece of land.

Paula put another call out for land and they came across the land that Hopefield sits on today, which is owned by Tesco who kindly let us use it for a peppercorn rent. Through the years Paula and Ernie have had their ups and downs but have never given up. Their hard work has been recognised by a number of awards, including them both receiving a MBE and have inspired many people to save hundreds of animals' lives.

Hopefield has continued to rescue horses and farm animals of all kinds, and over the years the type of animals we are taking in has greatly changed – we are now home to many types of animals including small animals, alpacas, reindeer, exotic animals and more! We have opened a reptile room and also taken in many exotic mammals including Raccoons, Tanuki, Marmosets, a skunk and many more as well as birds of prey.

The sanctuary is open to the public which is generating funds that go directly to the animals, making Hopefield’s future more secure so they have a home for life.

Hopefield is a proud member of the Essex community.