Welcome

Hello and welcome to the Chalford Donkey Project.
We are a group of residents of Chalford in Gloucestershire who have initiated a donkey delivery service to help people transport their shopping and other goods to their doorsteps.

How did this idea get started?
This project came about because Chalford is a beautiful and unique village in the Coteswolds with houses perched high on a steep valley side. Because of the difficulty in accessing these houses, donkeys were used in the village as late as the 1930's to make deliveries, carrying bread, coal and many other household items to people's doorsteps. So the idea to bring back the donkey seemed natural. Why not get donkeys to carry things for the residents of Chalford village in 2008? What a wonderful way to get people to come together enjoying the company of these lovely animals. Donkey deliveries will also help to reduce cars in the village and are a really eco-friendly form of transport.

How does it work?
The donkey will live at a smallholding on the outskirts of the village and will be looked after by the project co-ordinator. It will be taken into the village to make deliveries at set times during the week when people can book out the service. A core group of trained donkey handlers will also be on hand to help so that the job of taking the donkey out can be shared. The Chalford Community Stores will play a key role within this project. Many of the deliveries will originate from this shop which is a real hub of the community. It is a really special shop run mainly by volunteers and selling a lot of unusual and organic produce. It is from the community spirit of the shop that the Chalford Donkey Project will grow.

What about the welfare of the donkey?
Donkeys really enjoy working and being around people. The Chalford Donkey will be well cared for and will only carry weights within it's capabilities. Both the Donkey Breeds Society and various donkey sanctuaries have come out in support of the Chalford Donkey Project.

Chalford Donkey in the News again!

In the last week the local and national media decided to report on the donkeys arriving in Chalford. It is great that they find our donkeys' every move of interest. Chester and Teddy are becoming quite good and grinning at the camera! Although Chester's amorous advances towards Teddy might have to be cut. Yesterday, I found myself at 6:30 in the morning with two bedraggled donkeys in the pissing rain standing in a field with a film crew. There was a bit of a drama as the sound technician couldn't get down the drive to where the donkey's were as the trees were too low, and he was in danger of scraping the satellite dish on the top of the van. But the problem was overcome by taking the donkey's nearer the van and the very nice reporter did a grand job of leading the other donkey.

So in the last week we've been been on ITV west, BBC 1 Breakfast show, Points West, The Stroud News and Jounal, The Western Daily Press, The Llanelli Star, the Evening Post (Swansea), The Citizen (tomorrow) and Stroud Life (next Tuesday)

And they all want to come back for more when the donkey starts delivering the shopping!

We've found our donkey!

We have finally found our second donkey! His name is Teddy and he comes from Mynyddygarreg, near Camarthen. He is a chocolate coloured gelding and is surprisingly tall and strong. Mike Thomas, a beach donkey operator, sold us the donkey but says he's very sad to part with him as he's such a friendly chap. We are very grateful for the help of the Lionel Ford from the Donkey sanctuary in Sidmouth for his help and professional advice and for putting us in touch with with Mike.

Council Refuses Grant Application

The Chalford Parish Council told the Donkey Project today that their application for a grant had been turned down. We had applied for money to cover the public liability insurance expenses totaling £267 in January and have just heard the disappointing news. The Secretary of the Parish Council informed us by telephone that the Council had decided that our project shouldn't be supported because it isn't up and running yet and because some of the council members thought the idea wasn't practical.

What a shame the Council can't get behind the Project and help an initiative that has inspired others to donate their time and resources and caused such a stir of excitement in the village and beyond.

working day

Residents of Chalford got together over the Easter bank holiday weekend to help prepare the donkey paddock. Over 20 people turned up despite the unpromising weather and got stuck in with raking, weeding and fencing. As it turned out, we had a lovely sunny morning and were able to enjoy a delicious soup cooked on an open fire at the end of it all.

Yanni and Richard doing a fantastic job on the fencing.

The hard grind of raking and hoeing.

Chalford Donkey Project News

February 6-11:
Mad Media Frenzy in Chalford as the story of the Donkey Project broke and is covered by local, national and international press. (see separate blogs 'the Chalford donkey in the Media' and 'Chalford donkey press links')

February 11:
ITV West donates us a donkey. He is a beautiful little jack donkey of 10 months old and comes from the Coteswold Farm Park. He will have to be trained up and won't be ready to carry things until he is around 4 years old.

February 16:
The hunt is on for a second donkey to accompany the one we have been donated. We are looking for an older donkey who is used to carrying stuff and being with people.

February 25:
The Chalford Donkey Project meets with the Chalford Parish Council. We present a more detailed grant application to receive funding for the project. The Parish Council are concerned about the access issues to Rack Hill. At present it is not allowed to take a donkey up the paths as they are designated footpaths, not bridleways. This comes as a surprise as the paths are still known as 'Donkey Paths' and are not signposted as footpaths. The problem of access could possibly be overcome by granting a special license to the Chalford Donkey to allow it to use the paths.

March 8:
Money raised so far for the project comes to around £300. This includes £200 donated by the Daily Mail newspaper. We still need to raise another £1000 to set up the project.

March 9:
We are still looking for a second donkey and the search is becoming more urgent as we need to collect the first donkey from the Cotswold Farm Park before the end of March. We cannot collect the first donkey until he has the company of another one.

March 9:
There are plans to have a working party at the smallholding where the donkey will live. There is lots to do to prepare the land where the donkeys will eventually live. It is hoped that people from the village will volunteer some time on March 21 and 22.

March 15:
The Donkey Sanctuary of Sidmouth, Devon visit Chalford. Their welfare representative offers us free advice on how to work effectively with donkeys. After touring the paths of Rack Hill he said we will need to find a strong donkey who can manage the steep hills and also said we will need to consider the panniers carefully. He also came to see our paddocks and explained about fencing, sheds and other important issues in caring for a donkey. The Chalford Donkey Project has been given the full support of the Donkey Sanctuary welfare representative and they have offered to host a donkey handling day in Chalford for anyone wanting to become a donkey handler.

The Donkey Project in the Media

See also separate heading 'Chalford Donkey Press links'

Feb 6:

Article about Chalford Donkey Project in the Stroud News and Journal.
Interview on the Anna King show (BBC radio Gloucestershire).

Feb 7:
Interview on the World Today (BBC radio World Service).
Interview on the Today Programme (BBC radio 4).
Interview on the Six o'clock News (BBC 1).
Interview on BBC Radio Five Live.

Feb 8:
Interview on the Jeremy Vine Show
Feature Article in the Daily Mail
Interview on The West Tonight (ITV West)
Story covered on many national and internation internet news sites including The Guardian, BBC Online, The Daily Express, The Telegraph, The Mirror, Country Life, Reuters, Associated Press and Getty Images.

Feb 10:
Feature Article in the Independent on Sunday

Feb 11:
Interview on Talk Radio Ireland
Interview on ABC Radio Western Australia

Feb 16:
Interview on BBC Radio Ulster

March 16:
Interview on BBC 1 Breakfast Show with Chester and Teddy, the Chalford donkeys.
Interview on BBC Points West. Report also included interview with Siobhan Wooster of Chalford Community Stores and Mike Mills, a local historian.