A cancer sufferer has been reunited with a pony she rescued 19 years ago – thanks to the hospice where she is being cared for.

The pony, called Lucy, was just a foal and had an uncertain future when Tracey Plumb rescued her by swapping her for a saddle.

But now, having been unable to see Lucy due to illness, the pony has paid a special visit to Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice in Moggerhanger to be reunited with her owner.

The emotional reunion with Tracey, 45, took place on the lawn outside the 15-bed hospice in St John’s Road.

Following the visit, she said: “It was so lovely to see Lucy, it made my day, my week and my year.

“It was the escapism it gave me to get away for a few minutes and not be the person with cancer, it was some normal time.”

Speaking about how the visit came about, she added: “I said I would like to see Lucy again and my friend Susie said dogs and cats visit the hospice so why not a pony?

“We asked the ground and maintenance team leader and he was happy for Lucy to visit.”

Before she became ill, Tracey used to show Lucy at competitions across the UK.

She said: “Lucy and I have been everywhere and we have done everything in hand showing, as she is too small for me to ride.

“She was always guaranteed to come home with an armful of rosettes and trophies. I never expected it, I just went for a great day out.”

Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice’s head of clinical services, Tracey Haddock, added: “We go the extra mile to make Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice feel like a home from home.

“We are more than happy to meet patient’s requests and were delighted to welcome Lucy on her visit to see Tracey.

“Their reunion was lovely, you could see the strong bond between the two of them.”

The hospice relies on fundraising to continuing caring for people aged 18 and over in Bedfordshire and the surrounding borders, and is holding its big fundraising weekend on August 12 to 13.

Big Weekend returns again this year with music event Busk Till Dusk and the Country Fayre taking centre stage in Moggerhanger.

For more details, visit sueryder.org/care-centres/hospices/st-johns-hospice.