Traditional seaside donkey rides are set to return to Burnham-On-Sea beach this summer, council bosses have said this week.
We reported last month how Sedgemoor District Council – which oversees beach concessions – had said the previous donkey rides provider had not had their licence renewed.
When the previous operator had their licence terminated at the end of last season the prospect of donkey’s returning looked bleak.
However, Burnham residents Kathy Jones and Lindsey Ripley, pictured below, alerted the Vincent family to the availability of the concession.
A Sedgemoor District Council spokeswoman said: “It is great news that the public will once again be able to enjoy the prospect of the likes of Dusty, Princess, Charlie and Millie strutting their stuff on the sands of Burnham beach! Donkey rides will be available from this weekend through to the end of the summer season.”
Kathy told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “I was disgusted that there would be no donkeys on the beach, so I contacted a friend, Lindsey Ripley, who I knew was homing two donkeys for the winter for Mr and Mrs Vincent.”
“They have the donkeys on Weston Beach. Lindsey asked them and they said they would be interested. I then contacted Tim Mander at the district council and asked if they would allow it if I could find someone.”
“He said yes, so I then contacted Mrs Vincent just to confirm that they were willing to do it and Tim emailed me all the relevant forms which I filled in and sent back. I have been pestering Tim for weeks to see if we had news and today he emailed me – whoop, whoop!”
The council has also renewed a bungee-jumping trampoline concession, ice cream van and shellfish stall for Burnham seafront for the coming season.
