A special prize giving ceremony is being held on Saturday 27th September at 2.00 pm on the beach for Dymchurch’s award winning beach donkey!

Sam, owned by Tom Turnball, will receive a trophy, rosette and carrots for winning the South East regional title of Best Individual Beach Donkey of 2008.

The award is 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 The Donkey Sanctuary’s regional welfare officer Mark Kerr.

The winners of the competition were announced on Monday 1st September and competition judge Jenifer Tucker explains her thoughts on Sam:

“I can tell you, now judging is over, that Sam was my favourite donkey all through the week. He came so close to being my overall winner for Best Individual Beach Donkey in Britain. He was just pipped to the post by Del Boy and runner up Dennis. If there was a third prize, Sam would have received it.”

This weekend (27th and 28th September), Tom Turnball is kindly donating all proceeds from donkey rides to The Donkey Sanctuary.