A COUPLE hired a chauffer-driven Mercedes to do a round-trip of 500 miles to hand-deliver a �150 donation to Sidmouth Donkey Sanctuary.

A COUPLE hired a chauffer-driven Mercedes to do a round-trip of 500 miles to hand-deliver a �150 donation to Sidmouth Donkey Sanctuary.

Judy and Alan Bishop from Colchester, Essex, decided to make Judy's 60th birthday a day to remember by visiting the sanctuary in luxury last Thursday.

She has been busy saving the money to buy fly masks and help maintain mobile units for working donkeys in Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Kenya and Mexico after reading about the charity's overseas work.

Judy said: "We decided to donate the money to the Sanctuary because I can't tell you how much Alan and I admire the work of The Donkey Sanctuary here in the UK and abroad. We are involved with quite a few charities and this one is exemplary; if they were all run as well as this one the world would be a better place."

Sanctuary PR assistant Claire Shapcott, who received the cheque, said: "Judy and Alan have made a very kind gesture, and we are so grateful to them for supporting us as we rely entirely on donations, and without the help of people like them we would not be able to continue to help donkeys around the world. It was a real pleasure to meet them and help celebrate Judy's birthday.