Redwings’ senior field officers Jo Franklin and Julie Harding have been given the Team of the Year Award* by the National Equine Welfare Council, recognising over 50 years of service between them at the frontline of animal welfare.
Jo, who joined Redwings in 1990, and Julie, who joined Redwings in 2000, have rescued thousands of horses, ponies, donkeys and mules from cruelty and neglect during their many years working together at the horse welfare charity, which is the biggest in the UK.
The pair, who have worked together for decades, were surprised with the award last month, after being secretly put forward by colleagues.
Redwings CEO Lynn Cutress said: “Julie and Jo work tirelessly and mostly unseen to protect the welfare of equines every day. They’re the people who go out to investigate when we receive a call or an email about a welfare concern.
“It is a demanding job that requires them to deal with some hard and horrible situations.
“We are very lucky to have them here at Redwings, and we are glad that we were able to nominate them for this award, as one small way of letting them know how important they are to us.
“The horses, ponies, donkeys and mules can’t thank them themselves, so we wanted to take this opportunity to do that on their behalf.”
Reacting to the news of the award, Jo said: “It was genuinely quite shocking! We were in the NEWC annual general meeting and then our names popped up. I thought ‘that’s a surprise, but we won’t win’, and then we did! I text Julie ‘congratulations’ during the meeting, it was lovely.”
Julie said: “It wasn’t just being recognised by Redwings and other organisations, but also the feedback afterwards. It was nice to hear people saying such lovely things.”
They’ve been a crucial part of the life-stories of horses like Charlie who is now living his best life in sanctuary care at Redwings, totally transformed from the emaciated pony he was.
Jo added: “Obviously the fact we are needed is incredibly sad, but we love our jobs. We know that once we bring in a horse it will receive everything it needs, and that’s just so humbling.
“Watching them go through the process and then living a happy life, that’s what we’re here for.”
To make a donation towards Jo and Julie’s work with the horses, ponies, donkeys and mules who need them, and the care of the hundreds of equines in Redwings’ sanctuaries, please visit www.redwings.org.uk/support-us/donate
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