The Flicka Foundation horse and donkey sanctuary in Mabe received its second famous visitor in as many weeks recently when TV star Caroline Quentin dropped in with her family.

Only the weekend before, EastEnders’ star June Brown, aka Dot Cotton, put in appearances over two days when she met fans, sanctuary staff and volunteers and gave a talk.

Hot on her heels was Caroline, who is a regular visitor to the sanctuary where she is a patron. She was back to attend the annual open day and also to officially open the sanctuary’s new visitor/tea room.

While there, she also got the chance to meet one of the sanctuary’s newest residents who had been named after her.

A spokesman at the sanctuary said: “A young donkey found her way to Flicka - having been taken from her mother far too young and then spending her short life in a poultry shed in isolation. She was a very sad and lonely donkey.

“Arriving at Flicka just before Caroline Quentin's visit it seemed very appropriate to call her Caroline. She is so affectionate, craves company and lots of fuss, in short, she is gorgeous.”

The open day was another great success with visitors flocking to meet the horses and donkeys and meet Caroline and her family. “Once again we are so grateful to everyone who supported our day,” said the spokesman, “to all those of you who donated cakes, to our wonderful volunteers and of course to the donkeys and horses who love all the visitors.”