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Donkey Service at Gloucester Cathedral
Donkey Service at Gloucester Cathedral
21st March 2010
Staff at Gloucester Cathedral are gearing up for one of their favourite
events of the year. Shovels and brushes are at the ready, parking for
horse boxes and minibuses is being arranged and the staging is being set
up.
Eight donkeys, a goat and a dog will be guests of honour at the Hop,
Skip and Jump Centre's annual Donkey Service on Tuesday 23 March at
11am.
"It is a lot of hard work to organise, but it is one of our favourite
events of the year", said Nick Hilyer, Head Verger of the Cathedral. "It
is such a joyful occasion and we love seeing the children's faces when
the animals come in."
The service will be attended by hundreds of children and adults with
special needs and their carers from all over the county and beyond. The
High Sheriff, Anne Chambers, and the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of
Gloucester will be in attendance. The Cotswold Singers will help the
hymns along and provide a soloist.
The service will tell the story of the Gospel with the help of the
children and the animals, celebrating the role of the donkey throughout
Christ's life and Resurrection. Amelia Wells, aged 8 weeks, will play
the part of Baby Jesus.
The Reverend Celia Carter will lead the service. She is a founder
trustee of the charity, the Seven Springs Foundation, which, through the
Hop Skip and Jump Centres at Seven Springs and Kingswood, Bristol,
provides flexible, immediate and sustained day care to children with any
special need and life-limiting illness. The aim is to make all the
people who come to the centres feel of value and truly special, through
care, trust and laughter.
Founder Trustee Clarissa Mitchell commented: "This service radiates
God's love for all His children and is typical of the flexibility,
freedom and fun that these children can have at each Hop, Skip and Jump
Centre."
The donkeys are generously brought to the Service, free of charge, by
the owners, including a donkey sanctuary from as far away as High
Wycombe. The goat and dog likewise!
One in every fifteen families in the UK has a child with special needs.
Hop Skip & Jump serves families from a large area based on
Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and The Cotswolds, and also includes
Worcestershire and Oxfordshire.
The centre provides a safe haven for children with special needs, and
their siblings, where they can happily play and have fun, whilst giving
parents and carers some well earned respite.
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