Actress champions first open day

The actress, famous particularly for her role in The Champions, is passionate about animal welfare and she founded the ABC Animal Sanctuary almost 30 years ago.

Some of her celebrity friends will be supporting the event, with Lorraine Chase, Kate O'Mara, Peter Egan and DJ Ed Stewart having confirmed they will attend and William Gaunt is likely to be there on Sunday.

Alexandra is Patron of Compassion in World Farming, Wildlife Aid, The Animal Welfare Trust, Greyhounds in Need and Naturewatch.

She is also president of the Cat and Rabbit Resue, near Chichester, vice-president of Brent Lodge Bird Hospital, and patron of Paws Animal Rescue at Findon and Cat Rescue at Gibraltar.

She devotes a huge amount of her personal time to ABC which moved out of the flood plain near Chichester to its present premises at West Chiltington nearly five years ago.

The sanctuary now houses more than 150 animals, ranging from rescued donkeys and ponies to cats, pigs, sheep, geese, chickens and guinea fowl.

For full details of the open weekend and how to get there, see West Sussex Gazette May 27