Chapter and verse down on Jollity Farm

THE creator of a new book of poetry and prose by animal lovers around the world hopes its sale will secure the future of a Roseland animal sanctuary.

Mary Alice Pollard lives in Gerrans with her husband Chris.

Among the couple's many accomplishments – Chris is also a carpenter, writer and musician, and Mary is a photographer and animal welfare campaigner – is Jollity Farm.

The aptly named sanctuary is a truly blessed spot overlooking Gerrans Bay, where rescued animals can live out their days peacefully, safely and with love.

The animals currently in Chris and Mary's care comprise three Shetland ponies, two sheep, three goats, a turkey, a goose, two tortoises, and nine ducks. Back home in their cottage, the couple also have two dogs, five cats, five budgies and a cockatiel.

What's It All About? Alfy

Mary rescued Sir Alfred, to give him his full name, when she was doing animal welfare work in Greece and he died earlier this year at the age of almost 18.

Mary explained: “He was just a pup about four weeks old and I saw a man abusing him in the street. I told him to stop and he threw him at me and said 'take him' so I did.

“He was the most remarkable dog – probably a poodle, Pekingese and griffon cross – and when I came to England he came with me. He was even 'best dog' and carried our wedding rings in a 'pooch pouch' when Chris and I married in 1997!

“From the day I rescued him, Alfy never left my side. He was truly my best friend and instinctively helped all the other animals I cared for. There was even a tiny kitten that he knew was blind before I did. He used to lie with it after I fed it with a dropper, and let it suckle his fur into fur balls for comfort. Later he would pick it up and take it to its bowl for feeding. He was amazing.”

In addition to caring for the animal family she calls the 'kids', Mary is involved with hundreds of animal welfare organisations worldwide through her organisation Cornwall's Voice for Animals.

Much of the work is based on using the internet to alert people to atrocities involving animals around the globe.

Mary said: “It's phenomenal. I can get between 800 and 1,500 e-mails a day and what I read and hear about the cruelty makes me weep. It's every hour of every day.

“The other day I heard about a bull fight in Spain where a young bull wouldn't fight and so they brought a mechanical bull dozer into the arena to supposedly fight it.

“I can't turn these terrible things off, but by being in touch with thousands of people worldwide, I can try to get the issues into the heads of people who can do something about them.”

That same network of e-mail contacts has helped Mary with her new book.

She explained: “I put out a call for poems, prose and images of animals for the book and they suddenly came flooding in.

“The wonderful thing is that not only are they from people who are well-known, the book also gives people whose work hasn't yet appeared in print the chance to have their work published.

“We hope the book will be a memorial to Alfy, but also raise funds for Jollity Farm.

“ In addition it's available for people to buy in bulk to sell to raise money for their own sanctuaries around the world. Looking after rescue animals is costly, and like many people who do similar work, Chris and I live very minimally, without a car, to help fund it.

“We are not a registered charity - we are just two individuals who do what we can to give a voice to the voiceless and take in animals.

“We give to them all the love, food and safe housing they require, and for their lifetimes, offer them a quiet place where they can feel loved, cared for and at peace.”

What's It All About? Alfy, with a foreword written by actress Melita Morgan, has just been published and is available to buy over the internet, priced £10.95, by going to www.lulu.com/content/2577128

For more information about Mary's work visit www.cornwallsvoiceforanimals.org