Guernsey’s convalescing wildlife have a new sanctuary after a couple in the Castel offered their garden to the GSPCA as a release point for recovered animals.
Mark and Penny Martin only moved to the island in 2024 but while others may have busied themselves finding a milkman, one of the first steps they took was to contact the GSPCA.
‘I think they were a bit dubious when we first rang them,’ said Mark. ‘But then they came to have a look and went, “wow, we’ve never seen somewhere that’s got so much land and away from roads that’s just safe for animals".’
The couple had a similar arrangement with the RSPCA and other animal charities at their former home in Gloucestershire, where their 52-acre grounds at Foscombe House saw a host of fauna released, including deer, badgers, foxes, owls and buzzards.
‘It is just something we have always done,’ explained Penny. ‘We are just essentially mad animal lovers.’
‘It’s a realisation that most of our wildlife lives in a man-made environment, and if they’re injured or sick or they need a better habitat, just just give them a bit of help,’ added Mark. ‘A lot of wildlife charities don’t have much land, they’ll get something that’s injured, save its life, and then it’ll be in a small pen. If you then release it immediately the animals aren’t in peak condition, it’s a bit like someone coming straight out of hospital and having to run a marathon. So the best solution is to sort of have a halfway house, where they can grow strong and then they gradually wander further and further until they leave.’
The couple arrived in Guernsey with their dog Rita, one duck and a few chickens of their own.
‘But in the last year we have had 133 ducks, 11 rabbits, four hedgehogs, three crows, six hand reared mice, a few chickens, a silver pheasant and a frog called Frank all released here,’ said Penny. ‘My favourite is a bald bantam called Gloria, she looked like she had been blown up, but she’s regrown her feathers and is so friendly. She will sometimes wander into the house and sit by the fire.’
Despite having one of the largest private gardens in Guernsey, their new home, Le Groignet in Castel, is not well known, and is hidden from view at the end of the Talbot Valley.
The gardens run to more than 19 acres and include woodland, grassland, streams and ponds, perfect for almost any wildlife in need of a home.
However the gardens had been largely left to themselves over the past decade and had become clogged with self-seeded saplings and bramble.
The Martins have spent the last year putting the gardens on the path to recovery.
‘We couldn’t actually see the douit or the valley floor when we moved in and the pond had basically filled itself in,’ said Mark. ‘We have spent a lot of time re-establishing the douit, digging out the pond, to eight feet deep in places, and re-establishing the island in the middle of it.’
‘There are some very rare and old trees here, including a redwood and ginkgo, and by removing the self-seeded ones we have allowed them room to grow and more light to reach the floor and help dry the area out. Once a woodland had been managed in the past by man you can never really go back.’
The latest stray to join their menagerie was Gary the Goose.
‘He arrived three days ago,’ said Penny. ‘They can be difficult to sex so I was hoping it might be a girl, and then we’d have some eggs, but I’ve just done a bit of research and the male has a thicker neck and does all the high pitched honking. And Gary is definitely a boy.’
The Martins purchased Le Groignet in June 2024 after falling in love with the property on their first viewing.
Parts of the house date back to the 16th century but after being empty for four years, just like the garden it was in desperate need of some TLC.
‘It was the only house we looked at,’ said Penny. ‘We knew right away it was perfect for us.’
Mark sold a finance business in 2012 and had moved into property so was not daunted by the age and condition of the buildings.
‘I think that had put a lot of people off because it looked in disrepair,’ added Mark. ‘But actually the structure had been well maintained. I haven’t had to replace a sash window which is pretty amazing.’
The couple decided to move to Guernsey after becoming disillusioned with life in the UK and with a desire to be closer to the sea. They originally considered Jersey, where Mark’s father was born.
‘But I didn’t like how Jersey had changed and it just looked like anywhere else,’ he said. ‘We came to look here and just thought “Oh my God it’s beautiful”. Guernsey reminds me of what Jersey used to be. It has that feeling of community.’
There is still a huge amount of work to do both in the house and garden and the Martins are doing as much as possible themselves, but a year of work has already made a huge difference.
‘It is great to see the garden transformed from what it was, once we have finished with some planting it should be a riot of colour,’ said Mark.
‘Eventually we want to open the gardens up to the public, let people have a wander and see some of the wildlife and raise some money for the GSPCA.’
