Elisabeth Svendsen Trust

Spring is in the air as our thoughts turn towards the Spring Fair, being held on Saturday 17th April 2010 here at EST Manchester. The fair opens at 10am until 3pm. This is a great opportunity for every child that visits to tackle our themed obstacle course whilst riding a donkey with a prize goody bag at the finish. If children would like to ride we ask that they arrive before 1pm.

On 15th August 2009 we held our 5th annual Summer Fair at EST Manchester. It was a hugely successful day enjoyed by over a 1,000 visitors. Activities included Barn Owl Bill, Pottery in the Park, Retired Greyhound Trust, Boxer Rescue, RSPCA, Dookies Ferret Rescue, Cats Protection League, and much more.

A snippet of the event has been caught on camera and can be seen below.

Toby has found himself a new job as our resident guard donkey! He likes to stand by the yard gate, making sure that the other donkeys don't get out. Sometimes he's reluctant to let anyone in either - especially his friend Tufty, who is particularly quick at sneaking through gates!

Nowadays, Mary looks even more beautiful than usual, if that's possible! Her long brown coat remains the same on her top half but her sides have been clipped to allow her to do the work in the arena with the children without getting too hot and bothered. As well as being a beautiful donkey, Mary is also very kind and gentle with the children.

Hannah has responded really well to a long-term training programme and the staff have all noticed just how settled and well-behaved she is when doing the riding therapy sessions in the arena. With all her new qualifications, she looks so proud, and sometimes it looks as though she is smiling as she works with the children!

Cocoa is a very playful donkey who likes to be doing something all the time! He is brilliant in the arena, doing the therapy lessons, and when that part of his work is done, he thoroughly enjoys being pampered and groomed so that he looks beautiful for all his visitors. Although he usually likes to look good, he has been known to wait until his coat is shiny and clean and then decide to have a good roll in the straw!