Rural Life Centre

The Mokes Return

Sunday, September 9th will be a day out for donkeys and their owners at the Rural Life Centre, Tilford. Visitors to the country life museum will also be able to join in the fun. During the day, the donkeys will explore some of the picturesque surrounding countryside and show off some of their skills to the visitors.

The Donkey Breed Society has, for several years, been the guests of the museum for this event. The gentle beasts of burden, a friens to mankind throughout history, do of course all have very individual characters and personalities and also have a reputation for being stubborn at times. The Porter family of Follyoak Donkeys, Farnham, who organise this event, will be on hand during the day to explain many aspects of the donkey nature and potential and their fairly simple care needs.

The public will be able to join the donkeys in a stroll or ride through some of the neighbouring countryside, including the RSPB Farnham Heath Reserve.

Although most of the donkeys at the event are pets, they will join in a parade to demonstrate some of their many capabilities such as ploughing, harrowing, raking, rolling, mowing and pulling some very up-market carriages. Examples of many of the typical implements and equipment which the donkeys traditionally used will come with them or are already on view in the museum’s collection.

Donkeys have been used throughout history, loaded with panniers or baskets to carry people and goods sure-footedly through often inhospitable terrain which would have been impassable to many other creatures or vehicles, and this day will be an opportunity to see how they managed to do it.

Donkey Day Out takes place from 10am to 5pm at the accredited museum which lies midway between Tilford and Frensham on Reeds Road just off the A287 three miles south of Farnham. For more information please call 01252 795571 or visit www.rural-life.org.uk/