Dear friends,

It is with a heavy heart that I’m writing to tell you that our dear Beatrice has passed away.

When I rescued her from a factory farm in the summer of 2021, Beatrice had spent her whole life trapped in a cage with barely enough space to spread her wings. It was heartbreaking to see the condition she was in. Feathers were missing all over her body.

Slowly but surely, she began her recovery in her new home. With fresh air, space, and love, she grew into such a friendly, curious hen. She loved playing in the garden with my family and the other hens, and she’d often stand by my feet, chatting away. Her feathers grew back beautiful and luscious too.

Beatrice touched people far beyond her patch of garden though. As the face of this campaign to ban cages for hens in the UK, she has inspired over 100,000 people like you to call on the Government to ban cages. MPs and celebrities have also joined Beatrice’s cause, and a Bill named after her was introduced in Parliament.

Unfortunately, the Government hasn’t yet taken action to ban cruel cages in the UK, meaning millions of hens each year are still needlessly suffering.

We have lost Beatrice, but I know that we must keep fighting in her legacy for the millions of other gentle hens like her. Thank you for standing with me in this fight for a better world for animals.

I feel so grateful that I was able to give Beatrice some happiness and freedom after her life in a cage. If you’d like to take a moment to remember Beatrice with me, you can watch this short video about her life and the inspiring impact she has had.

Kindest wishes,

Mia Fernyhough, Animal Welfare Specialist and hen rescuer

with

The Humane League UK, the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation and the RSPCA.