Oxfordshire Wildlife Rescue raises £250,000 for new home

The charity said it was "shell-shocked and extremely excited"

A wildlife charity has said it has met its £250,000 fundraising target for new premises after being given notice to leave its current site by October.

Oxfordshire Wildlife Rescue (OWR) said it wanted to buy land for a new animal hospital.

It said a "group of local private investors" had offered a loan, supplementing £70,000 already raised through the appeal so far.

The charity said staff were "shell-shocked and extremely excited".

OWR rescues more than 3,000 animals every year

In a Facebook post, it said: "This is a huge milestone step and whilst this is a loan towards the charity it's a weight lifted off our shoulders and now we move forward into purchasing land.

"We are at this stage currently in talks about a couple of places of interest."

The charity said its fundraising efforts would continue in order to repay the loan.

OWR, in Blewbury, rescues between 3,000 and 4,000 creatures every year, including voles, garden birds, hedgehogs and deer.

Follow BBC South on Facebook, X, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail] or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2240.