Horse whisperer draws the crowds

Monty Roberts was the special guest at a fundraising event held on Sunday at Lucky Hens Rescue North West in Amberswood.

He is known as “the man who listens to horses” and worked with the Queen’s equestrian team.

He spent time talking to people after travelling to the event from Scotland.

He was joined by horse whisperers Patrick Gracey and Kelly Marks, who did demonstrations for the 200 people who attended.

Alison Thorpe, director of Lucky Hens, said: “People learned a lot from Paddy.

“Most of the people who were here had seen Monty before and follow him everywhere. Everybody was starstruck. He is just a lovely man.”

People travelled from far and wide to attend the event and see the horse whisperers in action. Among them was a woman from Wales, who returned to Lucky Hens on Sunday after initially arriving a week early.

As well as the demonstrations, there was homemade soup, a cake stall, tombola and a chance to meet the animals rescued by Lucky Hens.

The money raised is still being counted but the event has been hailed a success.

It raised much-needed funds for the centre, which rescues caged hens and finds new homes for them. But it cannot currently rehome hens due to restrictions to prevent the spread of bird flu.