EQUINE welfare charity The Mare and Foal Sanctuary has been recognised four times at this year's National Equine Welfare Council (NEWC) Strategic Goal Recognition Awards 2026, winning one category and receiving three Highly Commended awards.

Sanctuary team members Jenna Goldby and Rachael Blackler won the award for Advocacy and Policy Influence for their External Veterinary Project, which has improved care for 434 Sanctuary at Home equines by building direct relationships with veterinary practices across Devon and Cornwall.

The judges also recognised three further areas of the Sanctuary's work, all delivered by its Welfare and Rehoming Team. The team's advocacy work was Highly Commended in the Advocacy and Policy Influence category, its training and learning work, led by Senior Field Officer Leah Brock, was Highly Commended for Member Support and Standards, and its welfare partnership work was Highly Commended for Collaboration and Sector Engagement.

Iain Wylie, Chief Operating Officer at The Mare and Foal Sanctuary, said: "I am immensely proud of our teams. The work behind these awards is not glamorous and it rarely happens in public. It's hundreds of conversations with owners, vets and partner organisations, and a genuine determination to get the best outcome for every horse involved.

"Our values shape how we work. We put the welfare of the horse first, we work in partnership rather than in isolation, and we share what we learn so the whole sector benefits. To see that approach recognised on a national stage, across welfare and education, tells us we are getting something right. It also tells us how much more we can do."

The charity cares for around 550 horses, ponies and foals across its four Devon sites at Newton Abbot, Totnes Yelverton and Holsworthy through Sanctuary at Home, a scheme that places equines with a network of knowledgeable carers.

It also delivers education and equine-assisted wellbeing programmes for children and adults facing anxiety, autism, trauma and social isolation.

The NEWC Awards celebrate excellence across the UK equine welfare sector, recognising organisations and individuals whose work sets a standard for others to follow.