BROCKSWOOD Animal Sanctuary is set to reopen on July 4, following a tumultuous lockdown period.

The popular sanctuary in Sedgley closed in March when lockdown hit and since then has faced a financial crisis due to evaporated income and heartache after five animals were stolen from their enclosure last month.

Staff have even moved into the facility to care for the hundreds of animals, many old or with additional needs, who call the sanctuary home.

Now, staff at Brockswood are breathing a sigh of relief as they plan to reopen the site for visitors from July 4, following the government giving the green light to open earlier this month.

Neil Swann, director of Brockswood, said: "I'm really pleased that we are able to reopen, our supporters have got us through the peak of coronavirus.

"Our biggest problem now is that we need to be able to open all through the summer so we can make enough income to get through the winter, but it will be nice to be open for the community again."

A one-way system will be in place across the site and the cafe will be open for takeaway only. The children's play area will also be off limits for the foreseeable future.

Tickets will be set to a limited number to avoid over-crowding and must be booked in advance on the Brockswood website.

All tickets have been reduced to children's price initially, to compensate for the closure of some facilities such as the play area.

Neil added: "I just wanted to thank all the staff as a whole as they have been absolutely brilliant. They have all gone above and beyond to make sure the animals are well looked after.

"They have put in a massive amount of work, I couldn't be prouder of them."