The final day of a four-day Easter fundraising weekend at Secret World Wildlife Rescue Centre in East Huntspill had to be cancelled due to damage caused by Storm Katie.
The charity’s Badger Bonanza fundraiser had been well supported on Friday, Saturday and Sunday but the event was brought to an abrupt end early on Bank Holiday Monday.
The volunteers found the high winds had torn through marquees, left flooding and damaged several buildings. It comes after Storm Katie left a trail of damage in Burnham-On-Sea.
“Secret World was very sorry and extremely disappointed to cancel Monday’s final day because of safety concerns,” spokesman Jeremy Duxbury told Burnham-On-Sea.com.
“We suffered structural damage to parts of the site, and the parking field was flooded. The continuing threat of high winds meant that we could not guarantee the safety of visitors so we have had to take the decision to close for the day.”
He added that this would be “a great financial loss” for Secret World as the charity depends on its Easter weekend as an important fundraiser.
“This is very sad for us but it is the right decision given the extreme weather situation.”
The charity will be hoping for better weather when its next open weekend is held on May 28-30.
