Now everybody knows that Willberry is the original party animal, and always top of the invitation list because of the way he can flash his hooves!  So can you imagine how excited he was when a new Wish application came in for a pony party.   This special pony party was for Ellie, she has osteosarcoma, the same cancer as Hannah had.  Now Willberry had to put his thinking cap on as this one was a bit special.... 10 year old Ellie wanted to have the party at her school so that all of her classmates could be there too – a grand total of 38 children!!!

Well, this was a fantastic challenge, and whilst Willberry knew his fairies have worked a few miracles in the past, he decided that a chat with the staff at St Martin’s CE Primary School would help the wish run smoothly as it would be all hooves on deck!  Our plan was in place, and we couldn’t wait to meet Ellie and her little brother Ted.

Willberry travelled down to Liskeard in Cornwall with lots on board!  His fellow Willberries in jump form, props for our unmounted games, party bags, freshly baked Willberry biscuits and some yummy snacks – and an extra surprise for Ellie of a very special cake for her and her family....  The journey down was a bit foggy and we hoped it wouldn’t rain, but thankfully although it was a bit misty the afternoon stayed dry.  Willberry was so excited when they drove over the Tamar Bridge crossing from Devon to Cornwall! 

When we arrived at the school had done Ellie proud, with bunting all around the playground and her name in big letters everywhere – what a special girl she is 😊

The stars of the show arrived at the same time as Willberry, four adorable ponies from the absolutely fantastic Little Margate Equestrian Centre in Bodmin, owned and run by the wonderful Rachel.   The ponies came out and looked at everything going on around them as if it was a perfectly normal occurrence to be in the middle of a school playground! Well the children were all so excited at seeing them, but obviously they couldn’t all ride at the same time so our plan was to divide them into four groups and rotate between four different activities..... there was obviously pony riding, then face painting with pin the tail on the donkey; another area where Willberry had brought lots of freshly baked Willberry biscuits for the children to ice and decorate and finally some gymkhana games on hobby horses!!  

                   

Ellie’s teacher Miss Nile was amazing, coordinating each group with impressive efficiency so that all the children managed to have fun in every single sector – what a feat!  Many children had beautiful unicorns painted on their faces, the biscuit decorating was great fun and the hobby horse gymkhana was hilarious and hugely popular.  What a lovely group of children, all helping one another.  We gave out little prizes for the winning teams of the gymkhana games, if one team had won again, they passed on their prize to the team that hadn't won, this all came from the children.  

   

The ponies were the stars of the day, and even though Ellie was in a wheelchair she was determined to get on board, and the huge smile on her face when she rode around on the sweetest pony Meg was just the best moment of the afternoon.   Every one of us who has ridden or been close to a horse knows how special this connection is, and how they make us feel is one of the most magical experiences in the world.  Many of the children who had not ridden or been with ponies before made immediate connections with them, which was extra special too.  Perhaps one or two may even become visitors to Little Margate themselves 😊 

   

Finally,   the children were gathered together and went inside for a yummy tea party in the classroom – Willberry had never seen so much popcorn and chocolate fingers, ohhh and cake!!  Miss Nile organized the children to collect their goody bags just before they said goodbye.

There was just one last treat for Ellie from Willberry – an AMAZING cake made by the incredibly talented Niki Lowe Cake Design in Liskeard with guess who on the top..... yep you guessed it..... Willberry!!

This has been the most wonderful and humbling wish to create for Ellie, she is the most incredible young girl with the heart of a lion, and we have been so happy to be able to do this for her at such a tough time.

Our thanks are multiple.... to Miss Nile and all the staff at St Martin’s CE Primary School – you were incredible!  To Niki Lowe – nothing was too much trouble, you were very generous and supportive of our charity, and you made the most beautiful cake that made a little girl very happy..

And finally our huge and heartfelt thanks and gratitude go to the kindness and generosity of Rachel,  Mandy, Jess, Jezzie, Dolcie and Lola from Little Margate Equestrian.  Your unequivocal and immediate support at our request has touched us greatly, and we cannot thank you enough for your time and commitment to make this a most special wish for us all.

                            

And finally to Ellie.... dream big, fight hard and never give up