Staff at a Holmes Chapel zoo work extra hard to help animals get through the current cold snap

By Deborah Bowyer 8th Jan 2025

Looking after a zoo during the freezing temperatures can create extra challenges as one local owner explained. (Photo: Nub News)
Looking after a zoo during the freezing temperatures can create extra challenges as one local owner explained. (Photo: Nub News)

While most of us are snuggled up at home in the warm or in a toasty warm office during this cold snap, spare a thought for the owners of a small zoo near Sandbach.

Cold weather makes challenging conditions for animals and wildlife as we revealed in this article from the RSPCA here who provided plenty of tips to loooking after pets and livestock during the freezing temperatures.

And Melissa Mews who runs Holmes Chapel-based Zoo2U with husband Ben, is working hard with her staff during the plunging conditions to keep her animals alive and well.

Melissa Mews and son Edmond, site manager, with the parrots. (Photo: Nub News)

"Frosty weather means water pipes are frozen, so we have to get our water from the farm in watering cans and buckets," said Melissa

"The parrots could do with a better heated area during this cold weather," she said.

The zoo, which finally got official planning approval last year, opened to the public for three days before Christmas and will be announcing more opening dates this year.

It has four parrots plus a host of other animals including meerkats, guinea pigs, koobaburas and owls as well as three new parrots. 

Melissa and son Edmond are looking forward to this weekend's openings. (Photo: Nub News)

The zoo based on land at Bidlea Dairy in Twemlow Laneheld its open events before Christmas to raise money to create an outdoor habitat for meerkats and giant tortoises.

Melissa said the open events before Christmas were a chance to see what the zoo has on offer as well as raising money for our projects.

She said previously: "We want to build a skunk enclosure plus creating a habitat for meerkats and giant tortoises."

The zoo will also feature a host of other animals animals including a guinea pig paddock, koobabura, owls as well as the three new parrots. 

Melissa said previously: "Our Christmas openings are based on "affordable" prices and all the money we raise from will go back into building projects. 

Mellissa and Ben Mews from Zoo2U have had the best Christmas present ever. (Photo: LDR/Belinda Ryan)

The zoo, which was once based at Hall Farm in Alsager, employs six staff. 

Would you like to know more about Sandbach?

Free from clickbait, pop-up ads and unwanted surveys, Sandbach Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our town.

Please consider following Sandbach Nub News on Facebook  or Twitter

We also have a weekly newsletter with the TOP FIVE stories of the week - sign up here

     

New sandbach Jobs Section Launched!!
Vacancies updated hourly!!
Click here: sandbach jobs

Share:


Sign-Up for our FREE Newsletter

We want to provide sandbach with more and more clickbait-free local news.
To do that, we need a loyal newsletter following.
Help us survive and sign up to our FREE weekly newsletter.

Already subscribed? Thank you. Just press X or click here.
We won't pass your details on to anyone else.
By clicking the Subscribe button you agree to our Privacy Policy.