SPENDING a day at Ferne Animal Sanctuary in Chard mucking out the goats wasn’t as easy as the team from Estadia in Taunton thought it would be.

Having chosen Ferne as their charity of the year, the telemarketing firm decided one way to help was to combine volunteering with a team building day.

Jenny Wheadon, Ferne’s head of external funding, said: “We were delighted to welcome members of Estadia to see how we work.

“They spent several hours clearing the goat house and I imagine they’d probably have been nursing some aching muscles the day after!

“Their support for Ferne is greatly appreciated and we hope they enjoyed swapping their phones for pitchforks, even if only for a day.”

Estadia managing director Richard Palmer said: “We’re delighted to be involved with this high-profile local charity.

“All the team at Estadia are passionate about the protection of domestic animals, and as such we look forward to actively supporting them throughout the coming year.”

Ferne launched its ‘New Digs for Dogs £1million project for 2014-15 earlier this year.

The project aims to build a new enhanced kennel block, an improved grooming and veterinary care room, an information hub, a social unit, offices, a reception and a purpose-built re-homing centre.

Fundraising packs for the appeal, details of how to donate and more information about all the Ferne events can be obtained by calling 01460-65214 or visiting www.ferneanimalsanctuary.org