Elisabeth Svendsen Trust

EST Birmingham tells how three-year old Jonah, who has Down’s syndrome, benefits physically and emotionally from donkey-riding therapy.

Seven months ago Jonah’s mum Jacqueline Nixon was given a list of activities for children with disabilities, one of them on offer being free donkey-riding therapy at the Birmingham Centre of the Elisabeth Svendsen Trust for Children and Donkeys (EST) located within Sutton Park in Sutton Coldfield.

Jacqueline started bringing Jonah to the centre every week and has seen a vast improvement in her son’s abilities since he started riding donkeys. She says: “At first Jonah was scared of the donkeys, but after just three visits he overcame his fear and now absolutely adores them; it’s the highlight of his week.

“The donkey riding has made a real difference to Jonah’s muscle tone and balance so he doesn’t fall over as much any more.

“His confidence has grown enormously. Just recently Jonah approached the donkey by himself for a ride for the first time. He is a real extrovert now and the donkeys seem to help him express himself, and the staff always indulge him and play games with him.”

150 children attend the Birmingham centre each week. Amber Brennan, who has worked for the charity for 11 years, is Jonah’s riding instructor, who adds: “When Jonah first came to us he would only communicate using sign language, but his speech has been improving with each visit and last week when he got off the donkey he said the words “bye bye donkey” which is incredible! The donkeys have brought on his confidence and he feels completely at home here now. He even helps us to tidy up the arena after his rides!”

Visiting the centre provides support to Jacqueline and other parents in similar circumstances. Jacqueline says: “I have met other parents here and they all say how brilliant it is. For me, I get quality time to relax whilst Jonah spends time with the donkeys. I don’t have to worry for a change because he is in the capable hands of the staff here. After his riding session Jonah likes to help the staff tidy up and sometimes his brother Elijah joins him to play in the soft play area where they can enjoy the facilities together in a safe environment.”

Jonah has adopted one of the donkeys, Moses, from the centre. Jacqueline says: “We adopted Moses for Jonah to pay EST back a little bit for having the riding sessions, as the centre doesn’t charge for any services. We have a picture of Moses at home and every time Jonah sees it he says “donkey, donkey” over and over again.”

To find out more about the work of The Elisabeth Svendsen Trust for Children and Donkeys please call 01395 573133 or visit www.elisabethsvendsentrust.org.uk. You can also contact the Birmingham Centre directly on 0121 354 9444.