Patients at Weldmar Hospicecare’s Inpatient Unit in Dorchester have been treated to a festive visit from two miniature donkeys.
Albert The Great and Snoopy were guided around and introduced to patients by their owners, the Hyde family who operate Trinity Street Christmas Trees.
As well as spending time in the bays of the IPU, the three year old donkeys also spent time with Weldmar’s Dorchester Day Services group.
The donkeys were making their second visit to Weldmar having made an appearance a year ago. Tamzin Hyde says, “I really wanted to do it again this year because it was so good last time. It’s nice to share the donkey love! People love animals and they can make such a change.”
Day Services Lead, Jenny Wood, agrees. “It’s fantastic. Having donkeys in at this time of year brings so much joy to people. It’s completely different for what people might think is just a clinical setting, but seeing these donkeys walking around with their Christmas hats on really does spread the Christmas spirit, and we’re really grateful to the guys for giving up their time. It means a lot.”
Video highlights of the visit can be found at: https://youtu.be/SrGqelluKfY
