NOTICES AND UPCOMING
EVENTS
All
the Notices, Fundraisers and Appeals etc are currently ongoing, unless specified otherwise
Do you have a GHDT
event or fundraiser that you would like listed on this page, and in the newsletter? If so,
please contact Web Producer, Liz Serinken, with all the details!
*** |
EALING
ANIMAL CHARITIES FAIR 2019
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February 15th, 2019 -
The Ealing Animal Charities Fair will be held at Hanwell Methodist Church, Church Road,
London W7 1DJ on Saturday, March 2nd, 2019, from 10.30 - 4.00pm.
There will be a wide range of guest speakers,
live music and stalls.
Admission is free.
For more information please visit the Ealing
Animal Charities Fair website *HERE. |
AUTUMN 2018 BI-ANNUAL
NEWS REPORT
November 21st, 2018 -
The Autumn 2018 Bi-Annual News Report is now available to read and/or download.
To access the Report please click HERE.
** |
LAZARUS
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November 18th, 2018 - Everyone at the
GHDT is devastated to announce that the magnificent black stallion who founded our
charity, Lazarus, was put to sleep this morning after being with us for almost seventeen
years. He performed many roles at the GHDT, as a farm horse ploughing and pulling a cart,
being a demonstration horse and teaching countless students, but most of all he inspired
us constantly and showed us what is possible. A great many horses and donkeys owe their
lives to him. Laz was laid to rest this morning
covered with a GHDT flag under the Tabo tree in front of the house with all the staff in
attendance. Ironically in death, he achieved his life's dream to get into the mare's yard!
Rest in peace you gorgeous boy, you will be missed more
than you ever thought possible.
We would like the give our thanks to Alex Raftery and
Lauren Gummery, two vets from the University of Glasgow who attended to him during his
last illness.
For more information on Lazarus's story please click HERE. |
** |
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FRIENDSHIP
PACK
August 14th, 2018 - Why not celebrate
Friendship all year round with a Friendship Pack! For just £20 you and your friend will
receive a Friendship certificate as well as a Friendship bracelet. Celebrate your special
friendship and support the work of The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust! Details are available on the Friendship Pack poster in ** PDF
Please download and complete the Friendship Donation Form
Available here in ** PDF
** |
ETHICALLY
SOURCED GAMBIAN GIFTS
July 4th, 2018 - Anyone who has been
to The Gambia, and may be looking for ethically sourced quality Gambian gifts, may be
interested in looking at ethically-sourced products from Gambian businesses at MadeinGambia220. ** |
NEW SPONSOR ANIMALS AVAILABLE
April 14th, 2018 - We now have four
new sponsor animals, Helen, Maurice, Bannie and Geekay, in the 'Sponsor a Horse or Donkey'
scheme. By sponsoring one of our horses or donkeys,
for one year, you will be helping towards the running costs of our charity, and the care
of a specific animal.
The sponsorship fee is £24 per year and you will receive a
Sponsor Certificate, details of the horse or donkey you decide to sponsor, a picture and
updates throughout the year on the horse or donkey's progress.
You may sponsor a horse or donkey either online or via
post. Gift sponsorships are also available. For more information, please visit the
'Sponsor' link here.
** |
NEW DATA PROTECTION
RULES - PLEASE READ
April 5th, 2018 - New Data Protection
Rules come into affect on May 25th, 2018. Please read and return the GHDT release form,
available HERE, if you wish to continue
receiving the Bi Annual News Bulletin and updates from the GHDT office. Please note, this will NOT affect current or future E-News members
who have requested, by email, to receive GHDT E-News to their inbox. Thank you.
** |
X-RAY MACHINE
March 17th, 2018 - We
are very pleased to report that our X-Ray machine is now working. This fabulous gift,
donated by BCF Technology to Vets with Horsepower, is at last fulfilling its purpose. We
were unable to use it initially as we needed the right person with appropriate knowledge
to set it up.
Our thanks go to Karen Pickering and Markus
Wilke, two vets sponsored by the BEVA Trust, who visited us in February and were able to
set it up for us. It is now fully operational and they even provided basic training for
our staff on its use. A few of our patients have already benefited from it.
Now that we have our X-Ray machine running, we
need to have more lead Aprons and radiological protection equipment. If anyone knows of a
practice closing down, or upgrading their equipment, we would love to recycle their old
equipment for them providing it is still safe to use. Please contact us at the GHDT Office.
** |

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MAURICE
March 16th, 2018 -
Baby Maurice arrived as a surprise package, to one of our ex-patients, during the night
and is making his presence felt.
Hes a very friendly little fellow who is
interested in everything and everyone. He gets into lots of mischief with his friends
Jeffrey and GK. Maurice, as well as his mum, Helen, who has become the property of GHDT,
are now available through our sponsorship
programme. |

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March 16th, 2018 - Katana, our new
long term volunteer, joined us in February. Katana came to us from The Donkey Sanctuary in
Devon and is using her knowledge to help train the staff to achieve the high standards
that they have at the Donkey Sanctuary.
The animals with mental health issues are especially
appreciating her quiet and empathetic approach to handling them. We welcome Katana and we
hope she will enjoy her stay in The Gambia with us.
** |
HEATHER
ARMSTRONG HONOURED
September 25th, 2017 - Friday July 7th,
2017, was an amazing and exciting day for the Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust when its
director, Heather Armstrong, was given an immense honour by the Royal College of
Veterinary Surgeons by being made an Honorary Associate.
Heather said, " I feel very honoured and
privileged to be given this award and I shall treasure it. The GHDT is the total of all
its parts and I feel that the people who support us and enable us to do the work that we
do, the wonderful veterinary volunteers and practices who have trained our staff,
fundraised for us, donated equipment and our fantastic team in The Gambia must share some
of the credit."
For a tiny charity such as ours, this is an
incredible honour. We would like to give our very sincere thanks to The Royal College of
Veterinary Surgeons for the award and to all the veterinary professionals who have
assisted and supported us over the years.
To view images from the event please click here.
**
EQUINE AMBULANCE
September 25th, 2017 - On September
17th we had the most incredible news to announce. We had just returned from The British
Equine Veterinary Association Congress where our good friends and heroes, Vets with
Horsepower, announced that they are giving us funds to buy an equine ambulance that will
double up as a mobile clinic. This means that we can go to do our mobile clinics and bring
animals back in comfort with us.
This is something we have dreamed of for so
long and have never been able to afford, and we are so very excited about it. The picture
(available below) is of the type of lorry we will be getting and is a "mock up"
as we have only just ordered it. Vets with Horsepower are just amazing people, they are
some of the best vets in the country who take time out from their very busy lives to help
other people and horses and they do it through providing continual professional
development to other vets all over the world. We thank them and all the wonderful people
and companies, who have the vision to sponsor them, from the bottom of our hearts.
To view images please click here.
Please visit their *Facebook page and sponsor them if you can because they do so much good
around the world.
THANK YOU SO MUCH VETS WITH HORSEPOWER!
**
NEW CENTRE AT MAKASUTU
February 24th, 2017 - We suddenly realised that our
supporters had not seen what all the hard work and efforts for the last few years have
culminated in. We now have a lovely new centre which is made up from lots of donations.
Everything in it, makes me think of the good people who contributed to it and I daren't
start to mention names or it would go on for ever, but to everyone who contributed to it,
this is what Chris Packham saw yesterday. We have more and more patients coming in daily
and our workshops and apprenticeship scheme are starting soon. This fills us with joy as
this is exactly what it was built for, the people and animals of The Gambia. Photographs
courtesy of Jason Florio.

New Stables

New Hospital
**
February 24th, 2017 -The beautiful new Makasutu
Centre, that you can see in the post above, represents a great deal of hard slog, tough
fundraising, dedication, love and commitment from a great many people, all we had to do
was to ensure that it has done them justice. So many people and efforts have gone into it,
there have been so many, who have done everything from raise money, give us goods, paint ,
varnish, clean, scrape, build flat packs etc. it looks wonderful and it is wonderful, but
so much of it has been done with help from companies like Wickes who gave us very
discounted prices on the hospital and pharmacy kitchen units, the beautiful tiles in the
reception which were made by a lovely talented neighbour, Claire Pavey. The bathrooms were
donated by Kohler Mira bathrooms, the X-Ray machine by BCF Technology and the endoscope by
Burtons. The store room is well stocked thanks to the elves and fairies from Kruuse. Vets
with Horsepower, The Jean Sainsbury Animal Welfare Trust and The Elise Pilkington Trust
all donated generously towards it.
The furnishings were bought very cheaply from a restaurant
that was closing down and the beds were made by our watchman for £6 each. Fatou, our
housekeeper, sourced the cloth for the curtains and organised the tailor. It is just
amazing what can be done when every one pulls together. Someone asked me how I feel when I
walk around the centre. It reminds me of all the wonderful people who have helped in so
many different ways and that is reflected in the atmosphere of the place, which has a
peace and calm about it.
**
APPRENTICESHIP
SCHEME
January 27th, 2017 - Many of you will
have heard of the recent problems in The Gambia, many of the youths have tried to go
"the back way" and have ended up either drowning in the Mediterranean or in
refugee camps in Europe. Unemployment in The Gambia is very high and the new Government
faces a huge task to turn things around.
We came up with the idea of an apprenticeship
scheme where unemployed youths can come and work with the GHDT and learn, then they can
take their new found knowledge back to their communities to help the animals there. The
cost of such a scheme would be £10 per week, £40 per month, or £480 per year, which
would give a young person hope and skills which he/she could use to help his community. If
you would be interested in participating in this scheme you would be given the details of
the young person that you are sponsoring and would receive a report at the end of the year
on his/her progress. You could even come to visit the person you sponsor.
This is really a unique way of helping both
people and animals and though we know that £10 per week is a large amount of money, £480
as a fundraising target is achievable. It would be a wonderful thing to do and would give
a young person hope and help with animal welfare too.
For more information about taking part in this
scheme, please contact the GHDT Office.
Thank you!
** |
NEW PATRON AND
SUPPORTERS

Nigel Havers
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John Humphrys
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Robert Munsch
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September 20th, 2016 -
We are absolutely delighted to announce that three very well known and well respected
people have endorsed our work and agreed to be our patron and supporters.
Nigel Havers has very kindly agreed to be our
Patron and said, "It is a privilege to be able to call myself a patron of this
charity which from its very grass roots literally saves lives and benefits both human and
animal lives in such a holistic way. The rest of the world take note! Nigel Havers.
We are very grateful to him for his patronage.
John Humphrys has also endorsed and supports
our work, and we are extremely proud that he approves of our approach of "helping
people to help themselves" It means a great deal to us to have such support.
Canadian childrens author, Robert
Munsch, has also endorsed and supported our work, donating a signed copy of one of his
books for a fundraiser.
We would like to give them all our very
sincere thanks.
**
WORKSHOP
January 7th, 2016 - In April 2015, we
were delighted to welcome a German charity to work with us to hold a workshop for
veterinarians and veterinary assistants.
We are busy preparing for another training
workshop for students from The Gambia College. This workshop will be carried out in
partnership with a German charity called WTS. Welttierschutzstiftung (WTS) believes that
education is the most crucial and sustainable tool to create a world in which animals are
treated with respect and understanding. In co-operation with local partners, organisations
and universities they aim to enhance the standards of practical veterinary treatment,
surgical skills and profound veterinary knowledge, so they are the perfect partners for
us. We had expected 20 students, but 50 have registered to come on the course and we are
delighted at the response! It will also provide Professor Sir Horace and the youngsters
some more opportunities for socializing which they love to do when we have visitors! |
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GIFTS
October 20th, 2015 - Give someone a
special gift and sponsor a horse or donkey at GHDT and help improve the lives of the
horses and donkeys of the Gambia.
For details please see our Sponsor a Horse or
Donkey page here.
**
VACCINATION SYRINGES
AND NEEDLES
January 14th, 2015 - Calling all vets
and veterinary surgeries! Do you by any chance have any surplus vaccination syringes and
needles that you no longer require? We need some for a vaccination programme we are
planning to hold. As always funds are tight, which is why we are asking for your help.
If you have any questions about donating
syringes or needles, please contact the GHDT Office at 01306 627568, or email Gambia Horse
and Donkey Trust.
Thank you! |
** |
DENTAL WORK
August 20th, 2014 - Are there any
dentists around who would like a challenge? We always have a lot of exciting tooth
problems to show anyone who is interested! For more information please Contact Us. |

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PLEASE HELP SUPPORT ORPHAN FOALS
May 2nd, 2014 - This year, 2014, we
have had an influx of orphan foals, both horses and donkeys, and we are desperately in
need of funds to support their ongoing costs. Each foal needs milk powder for several
months, along with all the little extras such as rice bran and hay, young horse
supplements, medicines, not to mention the gas to boil the kettle for the milk and fuel to
pump the generator for water.
The overall cost to rear each orphan foal is
about £500. This puts us in a very difficult position as the cost of raising them is
almost more than the cost of buying a horse, but thankfully, we have yet to meet anyone on
our staff who can bring themselves to turn their backs on these little creatures who need
us so badly.
If you think you would be able to support us
by raising funds to help us save these foals, whether it is a sponsored ride or run, a
sponsored dog walk, a quiz, a car boot sale or a cake sale, please Contact Us for
a Fundraising Pack, or alternatively make a donation on our website via Just Giving, by
pressing the logo below:

Thank you.
** |
OFFER TO VISIT THE
NEW CENTRE AT MAKASUTU FOREST
February 15th, 2014 -
In this dreadful weather we think it is time to think of happier things. Why not come to
visit the beautiful Gambia and our centre?
Lawrence and Linda, two passionate animal
lovers who own Makasutu and who have given us some land for the new centre, have made an
incredible offer to our supporters, please see below and then begin dreaming of happier
times and book!
A SPECIAL OFFER FOR GHDT SUPPORTERS
So many of you have given your time and money
to support what The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust is doing in Gambia and would no doubt
like to see whats happening with the new project in Makasutu Forest.
Why not do this and have a holiday at the same
time?
Mandina River Lodges, just about twenty
minutes walk through the forest from the new proposed new centre, has been described
as paradise by many of the guests who have stayed there. |

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Set on the banks of a wide
salt water creek which runs into the main River Gambia, with four floating lodges, a
stilted lodge over the water, three very large lodges on the edge of the forest and a
grass roofed one with a terrace out into the mangrove, this is as peaceful as it gets. A
bird-lovers heaven, and home to hundreds of different species, Mandina is a by-word
for responsible tourism, working with the local communities to provide a unique
experience.
May and June are wonderful months to visit
Gambia, when the main tourist season has finished and before the rains come in July. It is
warm and sunny and the best time of year for the wildlife who come to the area for the
water. Its practically mosquito free then as well.
Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust supporters are
being offered the holiday of a lifetime for just £125 per lodge (for two people) per
night with a full English breakfast and three course dinner included in the price. You
would also have the services of a guide for canoe trips and forest walks. |
Special rates would apply for groups of 10 to 18 (maximum) people staying for a week.
Check out the Mandina River Lodges *website and book soon.
THANK YOU SO MUCH LAWRENCE and LINDA, this
really is a fabulous offer. |
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September 9th, 2013 - The GHDT is now
working with Charity Choice. Charity Choice is a place where charities, donors, volunteers
and fundraisers can come together to help the many charities in the UK in a variety of
ways. Through Charity Choice you can choose how you give and which charity you give to.
They provide information on over 160,000 registered charities. This includes all charities
registered in England and Wales. |
So, whether you are looking to donate to the GHDT, volunteer your time or specialist
skills, give your unwanted goods or leave a gift in your will, you are in the right place!The Charity Choice donate facility is completely free for the GHDT
to use, so what is donated the GHDT receives.
If you would like to show your support by making a
donation, please click *HERE.
** |
JOLLY
ROCKERS
September 9th, 2013 - If you are short
of ideas for that very special Christmas gift, how about a rocking donkey? My own gorgeous
donkeys were the models for this little fellow "Babbi", but if you wanted one,
Debbie of *Jolly Rockers, who created him, can make your donkey any colour you
like. Even more exciting is that Debbie has generously agreed that a percentage of his
price will go to help Donkeys in The Gambia!
Thank you so much Debbie! |

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AMAZON
WISH LIST
July 30th, 2013 - Sometimes it is nice
to know that you have purchased something in particular for a charity, so we have set up
an Amazon Wish List of essential items that we need at the Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust.
If you are able to purchase any of the items on our list, we would be extremely grateful.
These are all items that we are unable to purchase in The Gambia, so must be bought in the
UK and shipped out.
To have a look at the GHDT Wish List, please
click *HERE!
Thank you very much!
**
WOULD YOU GIVE A
BRICK? |
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May 13th, 2013 - The
Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust (GHDT) is aiming to open a second centre for equine welfare
and education in The Gambia, to provide their services to working animals in more urban
areas. The GHDT staff have worked tirelessly over the past 11 years to improve the lives
of working equines and their owners and the time has come to expand their services to
areas further afield.
If you would like to contribute towards this
appeal, please visit the Donate page to make a contribution HERE.
A new centre is planned, to provide essential
veterinary services and educational programmes about animal welfare. The new centre will
house a small number of in-patients who require intensive veterinary care and the GHDT are
appealing for help to fund the building of the in-patient stabling.
To erect the 10 stable building, 8000 breeze
block type bricks are required. Anna Saillet of the GHDT says "The cost of labour and
materials to make one brick is approximately £1, so we are asking people to collect up
their loose change and donate it to 'Give a Brick'. This is the equivalent cost of a large
bag of crisps, or a small snack - perhaps you could consider forgoing these things for one
day, and instead use the money to purchase a brick for our new centre."
The GHDT are already running a fundraising
initiative called The 333 Club to fund the other costs of the new centre, where they are
looking for 300 individuals, groups or organisations to each raise £333 to reach the
target of £100,000. However, the 'Give a Brick' scheme is accessible for everyone; even
those who are only able to donate £1 will be helping to make a real difference to the
lives of working animals in need and their poverty stricken owners.
Together we can make a real difference. |
REFLECTIVE
JACKETS
May 7th, 2013 - Many thanks to the
people who have sent us reflective jackets, they have been a great help. They are always in high demand in Gambia and we are always grateful
to receive more.
We campaign to encourage all horse and donkey
drivers to wear reflective jackets at night and to put reflectors on their carts to try
and reduce the alarming accident rate for night time drivers. The uptake has been
incredible and we are fast running out of reflective jackets. If you know of any
companies, councils, airports, police forces, fire brigades, Rotarians who use them and
who may be getting rid of their old ones, please could you tell them that we can give them
a very good and useful home. Alternatively you may be able to put a notice in your local
parish or community magazine for us. Such a simple thing, but it really does save lives.
**
A BRILLIANT IDEA
FOR GIFTS!
November 6th, 2012 - Sam Barnes, who is
a very talented pet portrait painter has offered to give 10% off any painting she does
from people who mention that they came to her via The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust.
Sam's paintings are very reasonably priced and
she really manages to catch the character of your pet. For more information and contact
details please visit the Sam Barnes Dog Paintings *website.
Thank you so much Sam!
**
RECYCLING INK
CARTRIDGES AND TONERS
August 9th, 2012 - We are delighted to
announce that we are now able to recycle Ink Cartridges and Toners as well as mobile
phones (working and not working) to help us to raise much needed extra funds! We are able
to recycle the majority of HP, Lexmark, Canon, Samsung, Dell, Kodak and Kyosera
cartridges, but unfortunately we are not able to recycle cartridges from Epson and Konica.
If you and/or the business that you work for would be willing to donate your used
cartridges, toners or mobile phones, on behalf of the Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust,
please email the GHDT Office who will organise for either freepost
envelopes or collection boxes to be sent out to you. All you need to do is fill up the box
and then the recycling company will come and collect your donated items for free!
This is a really fantastic opportunity for us
to raise some extra funds whilst also helping the environment. Please share this
information with anyone you know or any businesses using these items who may be willing to
donate them for us. We look forward to hearing from you!
**
GIVE A CAR!
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March 13th, 2012 - Have
you been wondering what to do with the scrap car in your driveway? Well wonder no more
it can be transformed into cash for the Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust!
We have now joined up with Giveacar, a
non-profit social enterprise which collects unwanted and unused cars for charity
turning scrap into cash. |
Regardless of their condition, cars are collected free-of-charge nation-wide by Giveacar
then sold through an online auction or disposed of at an authorised treatment facility.
Profits from the sale are then donated to a
charity of the car owners choice. Even if the banger is scrapped, it still nets the
selected good cause around £35.
Many car owners want an easy and completely
free way to get rid of their old car. Giveacar will help them to do this in a legal and
environmentally friendly way.
All you have to do is go to the website and
organise for '*Give a Car' to come and collect your car. Then you nominate which
charity you would like to benefit from your scrap car (Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust of
course!), and that is it. Simple.
To get more details and start making a
difference, please visit '*Give a Car' or call the Giveacar Team on 0207 736 4242, quoting
Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust as your chosen charity.
Details are also available on the Give a Car
poster. You can access it **in
PDF or as a zip file
**
MOZAMBIQUE HORSE
SAFARI
June 11th, 2011 - For anyone wanting to
go on an extra special riding holiday in Africa, we can highly recommend *Mozambique
Horse Safari. Mandy and Pat go above and beyond the call of duty for their horses. To
read a Guardian article about Mozambique Horse Safari, click *here.
**
JUSTGIVING.COM
November 9th, 2007 - We have teamed up
with Justgiving.com, the UKs leading online fundraising website, so you can donate
and raise funds for the GHDT online.
Using Justgiving saves us costs and reduces
our admin burden, so going online is by far the most efficient way of supporting us.
Its easy to make a single or monthly donation with a credit or debit card online:
All you need to do is click here.
Justgiving reclaims Gift Aid automatically and
pays your donation directly to us at the end of every week, and the site is secure.
Justgiving also makes it easy to raise money:
you can create an online fundraising page in minutes to collect donations for any
sponsored event or appeal.
You can create your own for any event here.
Fundraising pages are just like paper
sponsorship forms, except theyre online. Simply personalise your page with a photo
and message and email the web address to all your contacts. Friends, family, work
colleagues and anyone else, from anywhere in the world, can then make a donation using
your page.
You can create a fundraising page for
absolutely anything. You could get sponsored to run, swim, cycle, get fit, grow a
moustache or have your head shaved. The only limit is your imagination.
If you have any questions, or need any help,
you can contact the Justgiving helpdesk on 0845 021 2110 or email Monday to
Friday from 9am to 6pm.
Top
of page |
JOIN
OUR E-NEWS MAILING LIST
 |
If you would like to apply to
join the Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust E-News Mailing List for immediate news updates,
please submit your name and email address to Liz
Serinken. |
*** Please note,
the E-News updates mailing list is in addition to the hard copy
News Reports. The hard copy News Report only comes out twice a year, but with the E-News
updates mailing list, members receive ongoing updates as news is added to the website, so
it's a great way to stay informed. This
is an announcements only list, so you will not be inundated with emails.
There is no fee to join the
E-News updates email group and the details you provide will not be passed on to a third
party. Since this is an Opt-In group, members do not need to fill in the Data Protection
Form.
If you have any questions, or if you're not
sure if you're already a member, please contact Liz
Serinken for help. |
eBAY
FOR CHARITY
The GHDT is now fundraising with eBay for
Charity - visit our 'About My Charity' *Page. Details are also available on our
'How You Can Help' page.
** |
** PDF FORMS
 |
To view the PDF files, you
will need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader, free of charge from Adobe's website, if you haven't already done so. You can print the
files from the Acrobat reader. |
* The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust is not
responsible for the content and/or reliability of external websites |
This page was updated on Friday, February 15, 2019
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