Middleton church welcomes ponies

TWO Shetland ponies were welcomed among the churchgoers at a Middleton church yesterday.
By The Newsroom
Published 26th Oct 2015, 14:48 BST

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One of the Shetland ponies at St Nicholas Church for the annual pets serviceOne of the Shetland ponies at St Nicholas Church for the annual pets service
One of the Shetland ponies at St Nicholas Church for the annual pets service

The animals, named Tilly and Mr Ross, were attending the annual pets’ service at St Nicholas’ Church, in Elmer Road.

Father William Marston gave the ponies a blessing, along with a Guide Dogs for the Blind visitor, a Canine Partners dog, various other dogs and a tortoise.

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Father William said: “Candles were lit in memory of loved pets no longer with us.

“After appropriate hymns and prayers, the guest speaker, Anne Canfer, gave a fascinating talk on how the Cinnamon Trust can be such a morale booster for our elderly and terminally ill people as the volunteers visit them in their own homes to help look after their pets.”

The trust, which is based in Cornwall, is the only specialist national charity which seeks to relieve the anxieties, problems and sometimes injustices faced by elderly and terminally ill people and their pets.

It was founded in 1985 by Mrs Averil Jarvis, who was determined to help preserve the treasured relationship between owners and their pets by providing practical with day to day care, for example, walking the dog for a housebound owner. There is also an animal fostering service, for when owners face a spell in hospital

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Father William continued: “A hearty rendition of Happy Birthday from the joyful throng to Boz, a splendid pug, as he celebrated being another year older, was followed by refreshments.

“All behaved perfectly and there were no accidents.”

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Related topics:MiddletonCinnamon TrustShetland