Volvo Globe-trotter to the rescue

Redwings, the UK’s largest horse sanctuary, has taken delivery of its first Volvo truck which will be used as a specialist horse ambulance for the charity’s rescue and round-up operations around the country; transporting horses, ponies, mules and donkeys that are in need of care and re-homing.

Redwings, which is based at Hapton, near Norwich, has taken a Volvo FM-260 Globetrotter as a long wheelbase 4x2 chassis cab from the Used Vehicle Centre at Volvo Truck and Bus Centre East Anglia, Ely. The tailor-made horse box conversion was built by specialists Oakley.

The new truck for Redwings is the result of over two years solid fundraising by the charity and Adam Joslin, Welfare and Transport Manager at Redwings said, “This is our first Volvo and it’s going to be a vital replacement for one of our 18 tonne HGVs which has frankly seen better days. We also operate three 7.5 tonne horse boxes and all these vehicles are absolutely essential for our day to day work. The FM will be used for our rescue work across the UK as well as moving animals from site to site. We were specifically looking for a Volvo because of their reputation, their dealer network and their after-sales care. We bought the chassis in September and the work on the conversion should be complete by the New Year. We are so pleased and very grateful to everyone who contributed to help us raise the funds we needed.”