An award-winning broadcast will return this Easter to bring a “donkey fix” to those whose activities are still restricted by lockdown rules.
While many attractions remain closed to the public this bank holiday weekend, the Donkey Sanctuary will be providing people with a “virtual day out” in the comfort of their own living rooms.
From 10am on Easter Sunday (4 April), people will be able to catch up with the charity’s four-legged residents during the broadcast of its Sanctuary From Your Sofa event.
The special production, which also coincides with International Carrot Day, is a follow-up to a series of successful events last year, which won the Donkey Sanctuary the award for the best audience engagement campaign at the 2020 UK Social Media Awards.
The event will feature live broadcasts from grooms at the Donkey Sanctuary headquarters in Sidmouth, as well as a host of pre-recorded videos from its regional sanctuaries around the UK.
Maxine Carter, farm manager at The Donkey Sanctuary Sidmouth, said: “Last year’s events reached more than one million people across the world, so we’re really excited to bring the virtual event back for all those people who are missing their ‘donkey fix’.
“Easter Sunday’s event will feature all of the charity’s 22 adoption donkeys from across the UK, and as the day falls on International Carrot Day our fluffy friends can expect a few crunchy treats and surprises throughout the day in the form of enrichment activities.”
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Programme highlights will include spotting the differences between a donkey and a mule and learning more about what it takes to look after these incredible animals, as well as insights into donkey behaviour and the life-long, emotional bonds they form with each other and the humans they encounter.
All of charity’s regional centres, including the Ivybridge, Birmingham, the Manchester, Leeds and Belfast, will feature during the day.
More information on the full running order and how to watch Sanctuary from your Sofa can be found at: www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk. All the charity’s locations remain temporarily closed to visitors.
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