Mini donkeys make surprise visit for animal lover

"It's things like this you can look forward to," Graham Crewdson said.

Family, friends, and a district nurse have come together to surprise a homebound man with a visit from miniature donkeys.

Graham Crewdson, 59, from Warwickshire, is known to love animals.

His wife Jacqui, friend Anne Hughes and nurse Sue Gilroy planned to surprise him with a visit from little donkeys to cheer him up for Christmas.

Mrs Crewdson said "things like this really boost [his] mental health".

The friends and family of Mr Crewdson decided to cheer him up since he cannot get out much. They invited a local donkey sanctuary to bring over two of their animals for a home visit.

"Oh wow, I can't believe this," Mr Crewdson said after seeing the two donkeys in his back garden. "Wow, aren't they beautiful?"

Mr Crewdson has been homebound in his wheelchair for 12 years after suffering from ulcerated legs due to diabetes.

He said: "Because of my leg injuries I can't walk. So to see these beautiful donkeys, it's just amazing.

"Words can't describe exactly how I feel at the moment. I'm really shocked and surprised. My heart is beating in a nice way, feels like when I was in love for the first time. This is amazing."

Mr Crewdson said he was delightfully caught off guard by the surprise and did not see it coming.

Wary of nurse

The surprise visit was a collaborative effort.

Mr Crewdson joked the sneaky surprise had made him wary of his nurse.

"I can't trust my nurse now," He said to laughter.

"That's it - if she tells me anything about my legs, I'll be saying 'hang on a minute'."

Ian Mulingani said the trip had been an "absolute pleasure".

Ian Mulingani and Sue Strait, from The Donkeys, went along with two animals, James and Bertram, to visit the Crewdsons at their Henley-in-Arden home.

They have had the donkeys for about five years but only started doing visits to places such as schools and care homes this year.

"It's amazing how many people want to do it and it's amazing how much the donkeys love it. They actually really enjoy going out and doing it and they love meeting people," Mr Mulingani said.

He said donkeys had a calming nature that drew people to them.