A DONKEY which had been part of the community for more than 30 years has died.

Sophie died at her home at a livery stable in Aston End in the arms of her devoted owner Cath Devereaux.

She was well-known to former students at Collenswood School in Stevenage, where she lived on a farm adjacent to the secondary school until 2000. She was 33 when she died.

Cath said: “It has upset me terribly and I am still getting over it. She was unwell beforehand, she had liver failure. She died in my arms. I always wanted a donkey and I loved her desperately.”

Cath has many fond memories of Sophie. “She arrived at the farm opposite the school as a very young donkey and many of the schoolchildren at the time would remember her. In fact, some found out she was living here and came to visit her,” she said.

“She was quite a character, everyone round here knew her. She was great fun, very naughty at times. One day we left the gate open and she ended up at the local pub, The Crown, at the bottom of our road and we had to go along and get her.

“She loved people talking to her and loved it when people made a fuss over her. She was going blind but had a great sense of her surroundings.

“I really will miss her dearly and couldn’t replace her.”