A new ‘finishing school’ for donkeys has been opened by The Donkey Sanctuary

The unit at Broomfield Farm near Honiton helps prepare donkeys leaving the sanctuary for their new lives.

Many donkeys are initially cared for at the sanctuary in Sidmouth, and are then rehomed, to be cared for by Donkey Guardians, supported by welfare advisers from the sanctuary.

The Broomfield Farm unit is a halfway house where they are exposed to experiences they do not have at the sanctuary, such as walking on tracks alongside noisy roads.

It has three shelters housing around 12 donkeys each.

Kerry Layton-Hill, rehoming unit supervisor, said: "It's a bit of a finishing school for donkeys; we will expose them to things that they would find in their new home and can tailor the training to the home's needs too.

"It's brilliant to see the donkeys make such great progress, from being a little nervous to gaining confidence before going out to their new home - it's just amazing."