We are Gem Ferret Care Group, an association for owners and prospective owners of pet and working ferrets in Sussex.

We are not primarily a rescue group, but some of our members do take in rescue ferrets and are linked to other groups across the Country.  We are increasingly being found on the web as the Sussex people to ‘go to’ if a ferret is found or handed into vets.

Like many groups, our main information disseminator is our website: this has contact details for club officers, links to ferret expert vets and other rescue services and sources of advice, lists of useful resources for potential ferret keepers and details of forthcoming shows and PR events the club takes part in.

The majority of our contact with members and others in the ‘ferret community’ in the UK and abroad is via email, Facebook and websites. We need a fast, reliable service to post details of lost and found animals, respond to calls for help, and find volunteers to staff PR events. Our newsletter is also sent via email to keep costs to a minimum.

We have in the last year received urgent requests via Facebook to collect animals, to help owners of sick ferrets find a vet, and to organise ‘transport relays’ to get rescue ferrets to their new forever home.

All these are extremely time sensitive requests, and can make the difference of life or death for a ferret. Until the advent of superfast broadband in the Hadlow area I, as a club officer, was unable to respond or pick up requests as my internet service was sometimes so slow it would time out before opening Facebook. 

We also rely on our internet webpage to bring in bookings for events (ferret racing is surprisingly popular at weddings) and talks,  and to promote our ‘sponsor a ferret’ pages, all of which brings in donations to pay vet bills for sick and injured animals or assist club members with this if their finances are stretched.

Now the superfast service is available, we and our rural members in East Sussex can guarantee being able to get messages through quickly at any time, and can respond equally rapidly and reliably.

It may sound small, but superfast could save a ferret’s life.