The Donkey Sanctuary welcomed Conservative MP for East Devon Simon Jupp to its international headquarters in Sidmouth last week, where he was given a tour of the sanctuary and met some of the charity's donkey-facing staff.

Devonian and Sidmouth resident Mr Jupp was given a brief history of the organisation by The Donkey Sanctuary's Director of Advocacy, Ian Cawsey, and heard how staff have been working throughout the coronavirus pandemic to make sure the resident donkeys received the highest level of care.

Ian said: "We were delighted to welcome our East Devon MP Simon Jupp to The Donkey Sanctuary and to be able to give him an overview of the work we do, both here in the UK and internationally.

"Simon is a great supporter of The Donkey Sanctuary and is always interested in all we do. We very much value the fact he took time out of a very busy schedule to come to meet with us and more importantly, to say 'hello' to some of our donkeys!"

Simon Jupp MP said: "I was really delighted to visit The Donkey Sanctuary and meet the team behind a world-renowned charity based in East Devon. Not only is it a great place to visit, the ground-breaking animal welfare being championed on our doorstep should make everyone in Devon proud.

"I enjoyed meeting the staff and volunteers to discuss the work they do and recommend a visit for everyone this summer."

Mr Jupp was elected in 2019 and his East Devon constituency covers large areas of The Donkey Sanctuary's main international headquarters in Sidmouth, as well as several outlying farms belonging to the charity.