Funky the Rooster and his feathered friends are living in safer surroundings, thanks to volunteers from gas network company SGN.
Seven members of our Digital Delivery team visited Chicken Rescue UK’s home in the New Forest to spend the day working on building new pens and runs for the roosters and hens waiting to be rehomed. It was part of our Community Action Programme which gives our 4,000 people a day of company time each year to volunteer and help an organisation or charity of their choice.
Chicken Rescue UK was founded by our Senior Project Manager Vicki Mason in January 2022 as a not-for-profit national rehoming organisation for chickens, ducks, geese and other feathered friends run entirely by volunteers. Their main purpose is to find homes for ex-commercial laying hens when they are no longer deemed profitable on commercial farms, offering the hens a loving retirement in gardens, schools, allotments and suitable environments across the UK as an alternative to slaughter. The charity has so far managed to rehome 27,900 former working birds.
Our volunteers got to work building a new outside run for Funky and his family, who were living in a stable being used as temporary accommodation. The main frame was up in place before lunchtime and the finishing touches were added in the afternoon, and the team even found time to carry out a few bits of admin and general maintenance on the site too.
After an opening ceremony where the ceremonial bale twine ribbon was cut, the new family were able to fly into their new home.
Vicki was proud to have her colleagues support a cause close to her heart. Vicki said: “Chicken Rescue UK relies on the support of volunteers to give our animals a caring new home when they come to the end of their working lives. I’m really impressed with what the team were able to achieve in just one day and I’m proud to work for a company that values supporting community projects such as this.”
