Sanctuary from your Sofa presents Carols by Candlelight

With our annual evening unable to take place in its normal form this year, we were determined that the show must go on and brought the magic into your home with a virtual candlelight experience.

The recorded service featured all of the usual favourites, so sit back and enjoy traditional Christmas carols and readings, all in the company of many of our resident donkeys.

The candlelight service was accompanied by live streamed catch ups with some of your favourite donkeys and members of our staff.

Watch here

18:00: Welcome (Live)

Main Yard

We were joined by Farm Manager, Maxine Carter and the Main Yard herd as we began the evening's event.

18:15: Carols by Candlelight (Pre-recorded)

The Donkey Sanctuary Sidmouth and St Mary's Church

The show must go on - in a year like no other, we brought our annual carol concert to your living room with a prerecorded video of the year's service.

With special thanks to:

• Drummer TV for permission to use their footage of our Carols By Candlelight 2019 event
• Silva Screen Records, Crouch End Festival Chorus and The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra for their permission to use recordings from The Greatest Christmas Choral Classics
• CRS Records Ltd and Kid’s Music Shop for their permission to use their recording of Little Donkey taken from the Jingle Bells & Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer CD
• Landcape Magazine for providing us with images.

19:00: Meet the Poitou Donkeys (Live)

Buffalo Barn

We headed over to Buffalo Barn to check in on the sanctuary's gentle giants, the Poitou Donkeys, as they settled down for the evening.

20:00: Say goodnight to the herd (Live)

Shelter 1

We joined Farm Supervisor Marleen Stroes for a catch up with Timmy and Tommy, who were rescued in 2016 and are now enjoying a life of sanctuary with us. Adoption donkeys Hannah and Cocoa also made an appearance.

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