AN East Cornwall tourist centre is celebrating after scooping an award in a national competition ? for the second year running. Tamar Valley Donkey Park, at St Ann?s Chapel, was last week awarded with a shield after scooping the South West regional title ?best group of beach donkeys? in the 2005 Britain?s Best Beach Donkeys competition, organised by the famous Sidmouth-based Donkey Sanctuary. Julia Gibbons, partner at the donkey park, said they were ?absolutely delighted? to have won the award for a second time. She said: ?It certainly recognises some of the work that we do here. The competition is actually for beach or working donkeys ? an awful lot of working donkeys, like ours, don?t actually give rides on the beach. ?The award gives us a bit of recognition and we get a bit of publicity which brings in the customers ? we survive by people coming and paying money to see the donkeys.? Tamar Valley Donkey Park now has 30 donkeys? some are the residue of the original nine animals brought to East Cornwall from Ireland when the park started in 1989, others have been taken in over the following years. ?We have a couple of donkeys who were found abandoned on Bodmin Moor a couple of years ago, another one was bought from a dealer in a very bad state ? she?d been tethered by wire round her ankles and is permanently lame, but she will have a home here for the rest of her life,? said Julia. ?We also have a couple who were left to us in a will. Our oldest donkey, Bridget, is 46 ? once you take on a donkey, it?s a long-term commitment.? In addition to the donkeys, the park is home to 25 goats, 12 sheep and dozens of rabbits and guinea pigs. Last year it extended its facilities to provide a ?donkey drop in? ? an undercover facility which has enabled the park to be an all-year-round attraction. The Britain?s Best Beach Donkey Awards aim to recognise beach donkey operators for their contribution to high standards of animal welfare practices in regional and national categories. Judging is based on each donkey?s general condition, health and suitability for the job and the condition of their tack. Barbara Bricknell, one of the competition judges, said: ?The donkeys at Tamar Valley Donkey Park were absolutely brilliant and the situation they are in is fantastic. ?Their tack was excellent, everything about them was great ? they were definitely worthy winners.?
