CHILDREN were delighted to welcome a four-legged playmate to their nursery as they returned for the new term.

Timmy, a six-year-old miniature horse, visited Rosedene nursery in Northallerton where he was bathed, brushed and fed by the children while they learned about the importance of caring for animals.

Timmy resides at a local family farm and carries on the tradition of animal visitors to Rosedene's 11 sites across the region which regularly welcomes animals as part of its educational programme.

Rosedene remained open throughout lockdown to care for hundreds of children of key workers, 24 hours per day, seven days a week.

It also ran holiday clubs throughout the summer period and welcomed back all families across 11 nurseries for the autumn term last week.

Alice McCullagh, director at Rosedene, said: “In TV, they say you shouldn’t work with children or animals, but at Rosedene, it’s a perfect combination.

“Interacting with animals has always been an integral part of the Rosedene experience.

"Our children can learn first-hand about caring for animals; how to be gentle, how to understand risk, how to feed them and how to play with them.

"All the children love being involved, and it is particularly beneficial for children who don’t have pets of their own.

“Rosedene is a family-run organisation, and we’ve always had animals, so it’s an absolute pleasure for us to share them with the children we care for.

“Timmy had a lovely time being pampered by the children at Northallerton and is looking forward to visiting Rosedene again soon.”