A SWAN charity may have to close its doors unless it can urgently find volunteers to help with fundraising.

The Yorkshire Swan Rescue Hospital, at Brandsby, is desperate for funding to help secure future work.

Dan Sidley, co-founder of the hospital, said the charity had already cared for nearly 300 swans this year alone.

He said: "Such a volume of injured birds requires a huge amount of medication, feed and bedding.

"To continue to operate a charity on such a large scale costs thousands of pounds every single month.

"Without vital help we may have to consider closing the doors until we can generate the funds we need to keep afloat.

Dan explained that the charity and its volunteer workforce already get by on a shoestring budget and a lot of goodwill, despite receiving injured birds and animals from all over the north of England.

"These animals have so much going against them. We have had swans that have got caught up in fishing lines or been shot, and even one recently that had vegetable oil poured over it," he said. "When the swans are better we tag them and then monitor them once they have been released back into the wild."

To address their funding plight the rescue hospital proposes to form a fundraising committee.

They have already enlisted the help of Eileen Taylor, branch secretary of the York RSPCA. Together they are appealing for volunteers from the general public to come forward to help raise the charity's profile and the money needed to keep it operational.

Dan said: "We have already begun collecting items for raffles, jumble and car boot sales so all we need now is people to get involved in the fundraising committee and helpers to participate in regular events."

Any prospective volunteers can find out more from the Yorkshire Swan Rescue Hospital website, www.ysrh.org.uk, or contact them directly by email - info@ysrh.org.uk - or phone 07763 424892.

Rescued swan doing well

The Press reported yesterday that a swan with a broken wing had been rescued by York fire crews from the River Swale, near Thirsk. It has since been taken to the hospital and is reportedly doing well after an operation on its wing.