Having been a volunteer to help bottle-feed Ashley from when he was born, it's lovely to be a part of a dedicated team helping to give this little donkey a good start in life. I've got used to seeing Ashley's cute face waiting at the stable door when I arrive to make up his feed in the early mornings when most people are tucked up in bed and fast asleep.

Also sleeping in the stables alongside Ashley were Zena and Mr Khan (both born in October) being watched over by their mothers. Neither one of them stirred other than to follow me with their eyes.

Ashley's now four weeks old and he's no longer being bottle-fed. Instead he eagerly drinks his milk from a bowl. As you can see from the photo, he has a tower of buckets to help him drink at a more comfortable angle for a little donkey who, at this age, would normally be suckling from his mother.

On last night's rota sheet, his feed was to be one at midnight and for me to make up another feed and leave in the stable for him to help himself to during the early hours. Well, the first bowl of milk went down pretty quickly, followed by a nibble of my boots and a wipe of his milky nose on my jeans!

After giving him a cuddle and checking he was OK, I went and made up the second feed to leave with him. Ashley had other ideas. Stepping back inside the stable, his nose was already working its way to the bowl and he was well on his way to polishing it all off by the time I had put it down.

I knelt beside him in his deep straw bed and just watched him as he drank his warm milk. Quite a magical moment and one that I wouldn't want to have missed for the world.