Contractor:
RG Spiller
Project details:
The Donkey Sanctuary was founded nearly 50 years ago and has become globally renowned for its work, now having over 6,000 donkeys in its care worldwide. At the Sidmouth site alone over 500 donkeys are currently accommodated. The sanctuary has been voted in the top 10 ‘Best Family Days Out in Devon’ and attracts up to an estimated 200,000 visitors annually; as a free-entry destination the charity relies on donations, sponsorships and purchases to support their cause.
The site has recently seen significant redevelopment, including a new visitor centre, a 200-seat restaurant and a gift shop, all designed to enhance the visitor experience and maintain good visitor numbers and the potential revenue streams this brings. New buildings are bold but also sensitively designed in keeping with this rural setting in the Devon countryside, using predominantly locally sourced traditional materials. Attention has also been paid to the external environment that is central to the visitor’s enjoyment of the site. Existing pathways have been improved and new ones created, retaining and planter walls constructed, soft landscape beds planted up and new external lighting and seating installed.
Furnitubes is delighted that our RailRoad Loop products were chosen for the external seating adjacent to the new visitor centre. Two long seats were supplied – one comprising 2 segments and the other 3, and together providing around 7 linear metres of seating – both with backrests and curved in plan to match the new walling to the rear of each seat. Steelwork is in a galvanised finish only, which perfectly complements this agricultural setting and the iroko hardwood timber slats have been left uncoated to naturally weather and over time to visually blend with the other building materials.
Visit the Furnitubes International website for more information on The Donkey Sanctuary, Sidmouth, Devon