HAVING completed her duties as one of the morning’s show jumping call-up stewards last Saturday, Amanda Wallace was keen to leave Tyrella as soon as she could – not to get out of the bitterly cold wind but to get home and help prepare the family’s Kinedale Donkeys for a very busy Palm Sunday. As she explains: “We had 11 donkeys at 11 different churches from Bangor, Co Down to Rathcoole, Co Antrim and had to be well wrapped up against the wind then as well!

“Churches really enjoy recreating the original Palm Sunday in the form of a parade with children waving palm leaves as they follow the donkey singing Hosanna – this is in honour of Jesus riding a colt donkey into Jerusalem. It is quite a sight to see a donkey around the streets of Belfast with a group of children following singing at 11 on a Sunday morning.