Effie’s Garden

I knew getting over Effie would be difficult and I had hoped that time would start to ease the heartache but, in all honesty, it hasn’t. Admittedly I am not crying as much as I was and I can recall some of Eff’s quirky little habits and sometimes even smile at things as I remember them. Which is good I suppose. But I also felt I needed to do something. Hers was a great big, fabulous life, lived by a funny, clever and darling little girl who triumphed over all her demons. She changed lives as well as saved them and she needed to be remembered properly, as befits a lady of her great stature.

Hello gorgeous girl xx

And so Effie’s Garden was born. Effie’s garden, has always been the little plot of humans’ garden between the house and the Big Girls’ garden where Effie lived. With the arrival of the frizzles in the summer (when Effie was a house hen in her final days), it became a ‘nursery’ garden for the new girls before they were integrated. And come the spring it will be the new home of more ex-batts, before they too head off to live with the Big Girls. I have always wanted an animal sanctuary, but funds and space are limited so I became intrigued by the idea of a microsanctuary. The microsanctuary movement seems to have started in the US (correct me if I am wrong) in North Carolina by Justin and Rosemary who decided that instead of dreaming of a large sanctuary ‘one day’, the fact they had two rescued ex-batts meant that they already had a sanctuary, just a small one! And so Triangle Chance for All and the microsanctuary concept was born. A microsanctuary is probably what many ex-batt keepers are doing already – caring for ex-batts (or any ex-commercial farm animal) in their garden or on their smallholding and promoting the plight of these beautiful creatures. They are more informal than not-for-profit organisations and are usually funded by the owners themselves. But a microsanctuary can be anything – from one rescue hen in the backyard to a full-sized sanctuary! It is the concept that is more important than the size.

Mummy Effie and her bantam babies

When I spoke to Justin, he said Gary and I were already running a microsanctuary, and indeed we pretty much were. But for me, I wanted something more tangible, something that was in Effie’s name and a tribute to her wonderful life. So Effie’s Garden was born. My inspiration in caring for my girls has always been Edgar’s Mission Farm Sanctuary in Australia and so the similarity in names seemed appropriate.

And almost as a sign, at the same time as Effie’s Garden was forming in my mind, an email arrived from Edgar’s Mission, telling me that there is now a coop at Edgar’s Mission dedicated to Effie, that will care for and keep safe some little ex-batts on the other side of the world. Four very wonderful and caring ladies had sponsored a coop for me in honour of Effie – even now just writing about it makes me cry, it means so much. It is a truly wonderful gift, given with such love and understanding of how much Effie meant to me; Liz, Jan, Quolanta and Helen I love you all.

Beautiful wording on Effie’s Coop

Effie’s Coop at Edgar’s Mission

So as the sun sets on Effie’s Coop in Australia each day, so it rises on the coops in Effie’s Garden here in Cornwall. On the surface, Effie’s Garden is very much as it has always been, my little flock of ex-batts and rescued hens flourishes and we excitedly await the arrival of our new girls in the spring. But now I have something a little more structured, in my head and my heart at least, that means I can grow and develop Effie’s Garden, creating something positive out of the sadness. And, most importantly, it means that my girl’s beautiful name and indomitable spirit live on.

Jo x

We have a twitter account! Please follow us on @effiesgarden

Read more about Justin and Rosemary and Triangle Chance for All Microsanctuary here: http://www.microsanctuarymovement.org/