Northamptonshire woman's appeal to fund miniature therapy ponies visiting poorly children in hospital
A Northamptonshire woman whose two miniature Shetland ponies bring comfort to children's hospital wards is raising funds to cover the costs of each visit.
Miniature Shetland ponies Mungo and Reuben regularly visit local schools to provide therapeutic sessions for children.
Owner Lucia Pidgeon, 38, from Northamptonshire recently took them to Kettering General Hospital where staff on the children’s ward say the pair helped bring moments of joy to patients.
Lucia, who runs Mini Moments Ponies, said: “During our visit to Kettering General Hospital a member of staff told us that, with one little girl, we were the first people to visit her that week who hadn’t made her cry.
"I couldn’t stop thinking about this. With the ponies there, even for a short while, that poorly child felt calm and safe.
“When you work with children and families who are going through awful times, you see just how much one small bit of joy or calm can help.
“Patients on the ward are still talking about this visit and what I keep coming back to is that so many parts of the community can’t afford these services, so they end up missing out. I don’t want anyone to miss out on what animal therapy can give them.”
Lucia’s day job involves taking the ponies to weddings and special events along with school and care home visits.
But she is hoping with the support of residents she can take the ponies to visit even more hospital patients.
She says each visit costs around £100, which covers ensuring both ponies meet safety protocols, and the cost of an extra handler.
Lucia said: “These visits are completely voluntary and unpaid. I'm happy to give my time, but every visit costs money and at the moment it all comes out of my own pocket.
“Taking ponies into a hospital means keeping everything spotlessly clean and safe, and that adds up. We always take two ponies and two handlers, so a helper comes with me, and they need to be paid for their time.”
Lucia says her two ponies have completely different characters, with 19-year-old Mungo having a cheeky personality, while 17-year-old Reuben is laid back. He came to Lucia as a rescue after being kept in a shed in built-up area. Both have been with Lucia’s family for 15 years.
She added: “Mungo is the cheeky one and Reuben is the calm one, and together they make a very good team.
“I would love to take Mungo and Reuben into more hospitals, and these costs are what holds me back. Any donation, large or small, goes directly towards keeping our visits safe, clean and possible, so we can say yes to more wards.”
Donations can be made online by clicking on the fundraising page here.
So far, £400 has been raised – which would cover the cost of four hospital visits - of the £1,000 target.