Page 91 - IT'S A RUM LIFE BOOK FOUR Volume 1 "Northcote 1984 to 1998"

CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“THE STRAW BALE STORY”

This must have been about 1993....it was a bad time all round!
It was during the time that we had no helpers. We had no money either !

The National Lottery had begun and drained all the spare cash that families used to go out
on day trips. Over a hundred and forty million pounds every week had been taken out of
the National Economy and put into gambling.

Small animal sanctuaries up and down the Country were feeling the draft.
We were told by our accountant that we were insolvent after our income had dropped by
£18,000 in the last year. Our previously paid staff had to go virtually overnight and Ruth
and I were left on our own with over fifteen really big horses including old Goliath and his
pal who needed really special care.

We owed our vets over £10,000 and they were being marvellous. They had real
confidence in us and kept coming, at that time several times a week. Our total debt grew to
£38,000 and eventually Ruth began to pay this back bit buy bit from her own nursing
income. In the meantime she helped me clean out several horses before beginning her
own work at 8.30 each morning.
The morning of this particular incident, we had no straw for bedding and I contacted a
farmer friend down on the fens to see if I could call and collect some that same morning
just as soon as my stable tasks were finished.

A MESSAGE