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We are so much more than just a pig sanctuary:
Porcine and Animal assisted therapy
Curly Tails is a wellbeing centre for humankind that works alongside our animal welfare and rescue programme.
A harmonious, interactive and reciprocal approach to human and animal that improves mental health, wellbeing, education, learning, confidence, self-worth and happiness through inner contentment, empathy and kindness.
We live in a world that is fast paced, busy and sometimes overwhelming and often lose touch with ourselves and others around us including the fact that we all share this planet, human and animal and those bonds, connections and interactions are key to our mental health. We all need others and need to feel a part of the world around us.
We help thousands of people every year in one way or another and are fully inclusive regardless of background, ability or age.
Mental Health & Wellbeing
Mental health is vital to our wellbeing as it affects our mood, actions, the way we interact with others and manage our emotions. Good mental health reduces stress, illness and creates positivity within us.We help to achieve a more positive mindset to increase wellness and better manage life.
Self worth, confidence building and empowerment
By building on an individual's strengths we help to grow confidence and self-worth, that that teaches the value that everyone has, enabling hope and help with achievement.
Education & Learning
We offer education and teaching through interactive visits to the sanctuary in a non-exploitative way that enriches both human and animal life through connections, kindness and understanding. We take age appropriate learning journeys and fun trips for schools and groups.
Specific Needs development
We help individual people to build confidence through practical skills and decision making that help social skills, engagement and self worth assisting them with stepping stones to independent living and integration into the community. We do this through relaxed but focused 1:1 sessions undertaking different tasks and jobs whilst caring for the animals.
Working with groups, nurture sessions and 1:1
We work with SEN nurture groups, focused AP and offer 1:1 sessions by working with young adults, children and educational establishments, care homes and other service user providers to offer memorable experiences that help to enhance each individual.
Working with other organisations, mental health bodies and charities
We work with many educational establishments, service user organisations, mental health charities such as MIND, Mencap, The Autism Society along with SOFEA, Embrace, Phoenix Rising, Macintyre & Macintryre No Limits, Little Miracles, Dementia Care Homes, SEMH & PRU Schools, The Scout & Guide Movement, the NHS, Church holiday clubs, The HAF Programme, Medidogs to name a few.
Family & Children's Centres
We work with family & children's centres offering them an enriching and fun visit, usually themed such as Easter or Christmas to create a special time and memorable occasion. Many of the families suffer financial hardship and lack of opportunity through deprivation affecting social interaction and mental health.
Volunteer groups, OH and Team building
We work with large & small companies offering volunteer days, team build days and are linked with OH departments to enhance staff wellbeing and mental health, that in turn benefits mindset and increases professional productivity whilst helping in the community.
Students, Work Experience, DofE, Uni EMS, College placements and A4Y, NCS
We work with many young people and offer placements and work experience ranging from DofE to EMS including those with specific needs making us all inclusive regardless of ability. Empowering, guiding and teaching during formative & teenage years helps to decide pathways and mindsets for the future.
Respite, Dementia Care, The Autism Spectrum, Neurodiversity and other specific needs
We enhance the lives of so many people of all ages through animal assisted therapy that is proven to help regardless of age, ability, physical or mental challenges & impairment. Put simply, it works!
Events
We hold regular events throughout the year from Easter events, Pigs & Perseids, Pigs & Planets with UK Astronomy (another local charity) to our Christmas with Santa & the Pigs event which runs throughout December for families, children's centres and schools.
General visiting/parties and experience mornings
We have general visiting days, family days, private parties and experience mornings that take place throughout the year in between our nurture and education programmes. Visiting is via booking only to ensure that the sanctuary remains a safe place for people and the animals by managing the number of people that can visit in any one day during our general visiting days.
We are set in 6 acres of beautiful, lighted wooded land in the heart of Buckinghamshire which is tranquil, calm and peaceful.
We maintain our nature, wildlife areas and local environment by integrating with all these factors so that we all live together in harmony.
Finding the right balance
All the animals at the sanctuary are rescued. This is their safe, happy place too and we do not exploit them or make them do anything that would upset them or damage their trust in us. We are not a commercial petting farm. We work to the aspirational 5 freedoms for all the animals whilst maintaining a harmonious, interactive balance of enrichment, kindness, recovery and growth for all who come here and for the animals too. We are all in this together and we can all share one planet.
Our volunteer team
Our amazing team of volunteers, staff and trustees make all this possible, giving their time, love, patience and effort to enrich the lives of the people that come and benefit from the sanctuary as well as caring for the animals. People wouldn't be here without our animals and we build on this wonderful, enriching and proven way of improving lives for all.
We have 12 volunteers, 2 paid staff, 5 trustees and a 'pool' of 8 on-call volunteers.
Rebuilding our community post lock-down and the pandemic
Following the resulting problems so many faced during lock-down through isolation, fear, loneliness and declining mental health we structured a recovery programme for our local and wider community to help re-build and re-connect groups, work colleagues, the elderly and our community. We set up a meeting place with refreshments and interaction with the animals along with other familiar people around to build confidence and normalise interaction with one another within our beautiful sanctuary, a safe, outside space that is calm and inviting. It was a wonderful few months of growth and repair for so many.
'We cannot help everyone in the world but we can make a world of difference to those that we can. Like the ripple effect of a pebble into water, our reach grows further to those connected to those we help.
We don't just rescue pigs here.....
