About Thornberry.

Thornberry Animal Sanctuary is a rescue centre based in South Yorkshire on two different sites. Founded in 1988, we have since rescued thousands of Dogs, Cats, Rabbits, Equines and some other larger species at our farm at Ravenfield, whilst all other animals are at Todwick Road, Dinnington. We take animals that through no fault of their own need a new home. We assess them and deal with any medical or behavioural issues they may have, then try to match them to their perfect forever home.

Visits to our animals at both sites are appointment only – this greatly reduces the stress our animals face on a day to day basis. Thank you for understanding! If you would like to find out more about the animals available for adoption, visit Adopt An Animal.

Please be aware that we cannot allow any visitor’s dogs on site, except for Guide/Assistance dogs. This is for the safety of you, your dogs, and our animals.

Our history.

Thornberry Animal Sanctuary (registered charity no. 1205404) is led by a Board of Trustees, who oversee and manage the sanctuary as volunteers, with the current Board being particularly ‘hands-on’ in the daily management of all aspects of the charity.

At Thornberry Animal Sanctuary, we’re proud to have a highly experienced Animal Care team, ensuring the highest standards of continuity, expertise, and compassion for every animal in our care.

We’re equally committed to providing high-quality communication and customer service. Our team members are available to assist with enquiries during our main opening hours (11am–3pm) and will always do their best to respond promptly.

We truly value your feedback and are always open to constructive comments and suggestions on how we can continue to improve.

We have also always relied extensively on the invaluable contribution of volunteers and will continue to do so. Many volunteers have been working on behalf of Thornberry for years, in animal care roles such as dog-walking, cat and rabbit care, educating our pets of all sizes, including our horses, to interact with people calmly and with trust, perhaps for the first time in their lives. Volunteers also work in our sales areas or off site in fundraising activities and in numerous other ways. They offer a huge breadth of experience, skill and generous gifts of their time and hard work, which have made it possible for Thornberry to survive for over 30 years.

There have been many changes and developments at Thornberry. We have two sites, the main one open to visitors at Todwick Road, near Dinnington/ North Anston, which houses our smaller pets: dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs and others. Our other site is at Ravenfield, where we have 30 or more horses and ponies and 5 pet pigs, not to mention two hens which we treat as our pets too.

We continue to strive to improve, in our ways of working above all, but on our sites too. Maintenance of a thirty-year-old infrastructure is a constant task whilst developments and improvements are a constant goal. 

We expect that a History section on our website written in 10 years time will see those aspects that we need to change transformed, whilst the best of what we are and what we do now is retained. We invite visitors and supporters to join us on our journey.

Meet the team.

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Tiger
// Director of Purr-formance
Meet Tiger, our resident cat and the Director of Purr-formance at our animal sanctuary. Tiger can quite often be seen patrolling the Cattery and yard. Even though Tiger is deaf, he doesn’t let that slow him down one bit. He’s a curious and playful cat who loves to explore his surroundings. Every afternoon, Tiger gets a burst of energy and races around with his famous zoomies. When you visit why not come along and say hello to Tiger.
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Jane
// Chair of Trustees
Hello, I’m Jane. I joined the Board in June 2015 and have been glad to be part of a charity that cares so deeply for animals in crisis but which also values the people, whether staff, volunteers or supporters, whose efforts make life so much better for so many pets in need. It is a massive and rewarding team effort.
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Joanne
// Trustee
Hi! I’m Joanne and I have been a supporter of Thornberry since 1992. I joined the board in 2011. I absolutely love the sanctuary, the work we do and I extremely proud to be a part of it all.
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John
// Trustee
Hi, my name is John and I am proud to support TAS as a trustee! Whilst a finance professional by day, my heart is with animals, particularly my two pet pals Radish the Springer and my rescue cat Lucy. My aim is to use my experience to support the great work the TAS team are doing and help more animals find their forever home!
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Lisa
// Trustee
Hi, I’m Lisa , I am passionate about animal welfare and have always been in awe of the amazing work the team at TAS do. I was very proud to be appointed to role of Trustee at TAS in September 2024 and hope that my contribution will help support that great work already being achieved. Day to day I run a busy Learning and Development Consultancy based in Sheffield called Live and Learn Consultancy Ltd. This is my fur-baby Poppy, she is an American Bulldog who joins me at work every day and holds the prestigious job tile of “Well-being Director”.
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Paul
// Advisory Trustee
Hi I am Paul, one of the Trustees at Thornberry and a professional singer. I’m a lifelong animal lover of all shapes and sizes. This is me and my partner in crime, Oscar, my little King and I!
Helen
Helen
// CEO
Hi! I’m Helen. I have been at Thornberry since 2018 and am General Manager/CEO of the Charity. Thornberry’s mission is very close to my heart having been brought up around animals and today I have four dogs, two I adopted through Thornberry after being a “failed fosterer” I also have a Horse called Bertie. My role at Thornberry is to ensure the smooth running of the sanctuary, maintaining exceptional animal welfare standards, providing a safe haven for the vulnerable.
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Zoe
// Kennel Manager
Hi, I’m Zoe the Kennel Manager at Thornberry Animal Sanctuary. I lead a fantastic team in rehabilitating and rehoming the wonderful dogs that enter Thornberry, helping each to find their forever homes.
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Laura
// Cattery Manager
Hi, I’m Laura! I qualified as a Registered Veterinary nurse in 2017 and have made the jump into rescue work in 2025 here at Thornberry as their cattery manager and RVN. I’m excited to start my journey here and help all the cats and kittens in need.
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Amy
// Small Animal Manager
Hi I’m Amy, the smalls manager & registered veterinary nurse. I’ve been in practice for 14 years but always had a passion for rescue animals & have often been involved with caring & rehoming for the animals in need. I love all animals but have a soft spot for rabbits. A wonderful animal that is sadly often misunderstood. I feel very privileged to be working in rescue & being part of the Thornberry team.

Volunteering...

There are many different ways to be involved as a volunteer at Thornberry.

Each volunteer’s contribution is greatly appreciated as without it, the day to day running couldn’t happen. Areas of help include looking after the shops and café onsite, fundraising, dog walking, animal cage care and cleaning, and onsite maintenance. At our equine centre, we have a variety of roles dependent on the individual’s skills.

Our friends.

We are lucky to have the support of some great companies. Without their help we would be unable to help as many animals as we do.

Foresters Financial

Thank you to Foresters Financial UK

Sheffmed

Thank you to Sheffmed

Pets at Home

Thank you to Pets at Home, Drakehouse

Pets Foundation

Thank you to the Pets Foundation

Maxfields

Thank you to Maxfields Travel

Estrada Ecology

Thank you to Estrada Ecology Ltd