A special prize giving ceremony is being held on Friday 19th September at 12.00 pm on the beach for Weymouth's award winning beach donkeys.

The donkeys, Jasmine, Stumpy, Sooty, PeeJay, BeeJay, Sparky and Daisy, owned by Maggie Aldridge, will receive trophies, rosettes and a bucket of carrots for winning the title of "South East's Best Group of Beach Donkeys 2008".

They also scooped the national award title of "The Group with the Best Feet in Britain 2008" and the farrier responsible for keeping their feet in such excellent condition is Colin Deeny. He will receive a trophy and certificate for his efforts.

The awards are part of a national competition organised by The Donkey Sanctuary, a charity based near Sidmouth in Devon, which aims to recognise high standards of animal welfare practice.

The prize will be presented by local Councillor Brendon Webster and representatives from The Donkey Sanctuary, including regional welfare officer Mark Kerr, will also attend.

The winners were announced on Monday 1st September and competition judge, Jenifer Tucker, explains why Weymouth's donkeys deserved the two titles:

"I chose Jasmine, Stumpy, Sooty, PeeJay, BeeJay, Sparky and Daisy as the winners of the best feet award because their farrier has done a great job throughout the year. All of the donkeys had neatly trimmed hooves and their feet were in excellent condition."

"Last year the Weymouth donkeys won the best beach donkey group, but this year they were just pipped to the post by the Filey donkeys. This year's competition was difficult to judge for me because all the regional winners were worthy of winning this prestigious prize."