A FARM has welcomed two new four-legged friends into its attraction as it continues to expand.

Morrie and Paudie are the latest additions to Stanton's Farm in Witham Road, Black Notley.

The donkey duo have been on a long journey to make it to the farm, originally imported from Ireland, but being collected by the farm in Somerset.

They join an range of animals already on site, including goats, pigs and alpacas.

Farm manager Jessica Roots said: “We have wanted donkeys for a while. They are really hard to get hold of so we were searching for four or five months.

“We found these two and we went and picked them up. It took about 12 hours in total to get them back.

“We don’t think there are any other farms in Essex which have donkeys, we are always trying to differentiate ourselves.”

“They have come just in time for Christmas.”

Stanton’s has now begun to offer donkey experiences and has had positive feedback so far.

Jessica said: “Now they are with us, we are offering slots for donkey meet and greets, where we will also educate people about them. There are keeper experiences too.

“We haven’t had them very long, but the reaction so far has been really lovely.

“We have had a couple of birthdays, one for children and the other for adults.

“At the child’s birthday party, in particular, they were really excited to meet them.

“Young children don’t see donkeys a lot, so naturally they were very excited and had lots of questions - it was nice to see.”

The farm only opened about one year ago and is looking forward to continuing to grow.

Jessica said: “When you start out you always hope it takes off quickly, but looking back on this year, we have done really well considering we have just gone into the cost-of-living crisis and come out of Covid.

“We have tried to price ourselves to meet everyone’s needs. We don’t want anyone excluded.

“It is an exciting time ahead.”