A meeting of the heart: Wyn & Pebbles the horse
As the daughter of a pit pony trainer at Eastington Colliery in County Durham, horses had been part of Wyn’s life for as long as she could remember. As she approached the end of her life, the 87-year-old had one simple wish: to see – and smell – a horse again.
Her daughter Annie shared: “When the staff asked if she had one final wish, it was to go to the races. They said, ‘We can’t take you to the races, but we can bring a horse to you’. Sure enough, a few days later Pebbles the retired racehorse visited the Hospice. Mum’s bed was wheeled into the garden on a lovely sunny morning, and she took delight in stroking the horse’s nose and feeding her carrots.”
Childhood on the Durham coast
Having grown up on the Durham coast in a miner’s cottage with her parents and five siblings, horses were a part of daily life during Wyn’s childhood. When she was 13, disaster struck the community when an explosion claimed the lives of 83 people and the colliery was closed for a lengthy enquiry.
Wyn was sent to a convent boarding school in Surrey, run by the Salesian Sisters. The order provided education and skills for children from marginalised communities, teaching subjects like dressmaking, art and botany – skills that stayed with her throughout her life.
Inspiration from the convent gardens
She remained with the order as a postulant and trained as a teacher. The sisters owned Friary Park, a stately home in Henly-on-Thames, where the Grade II listed gardens left a lasting impression, featuring often in her artwork and becoming a lifelong inspiration. “She remained a keen gardener for the rest of her life, turning weeds into wonderful flower gardens wherever she lived,” Annie said.
Family life and a career in education
At 27, Wyn left the convent and later met her husband, John. They married on New Year’s Day 1966 and settled in Wanstead, where they raised their three children – Annie, Jeanette and Chris. Wyn continued teaching art, gaining further qualifications as a special needs teacher and later as an educational psychologist.
Horse riding and happy memories
Family holidays were spent in Cumbria, where Wyn and John bought an old farmhouse that eventually led them to retire early and run a country house hotel. Annie recalled: “This allowed us city kids to roam free on the Cumbrian Fells, often on horseback.”
Horses once again found their way into Wyn’s life. “Mum rescued a Welsh mountain pony called Goldie from a neighbouring farm when she found out they were going to sell her for slaughter,” Annie added.
After retiring from the hotel, Wyn and John returned to Essex and settled in Burnham-on-Crouch, where Wyn created her final garden full of all the flowers she loved. Later, when John died, she started to suffer mini strokes that led to dementia, often resulting in falls. When she could no longer manage without support, she moved to a little flat in Theydon Bois to be close to her children.
A final wish at St Clare Hospice
Annie continued: “When the time came, Mum spent the last three weeks of her life at St Clare Hospice, where they gave her dignity and made her stay a home-from-home. We hung one of Mum’s botanical paintings on the wall and she had a view of the lovely gardens, which was very important for her.”
Annie’s sister Jeanette added: “Coming to the Hospice from hospital was like night and day. I know the hospital nurses try really heard, but it’s just not like being at the Hospice. Where else would they arrange for a horse to visit Mum? We really think she was holding on for this experience, and we can’t thank everyone enough for doing this for her.”
The St Clare Inpatient Unit team arranged for local horsewoman Hayley to bring her gentle 22-year-old horse, Pebbles to the Hospice – and there were smiles and tears as Pebbles walked calmly through the Hospice gardens to meet Wyn.
After Pebbles’ visit, Wyn described the whole experience as ‘a miracle’ and joked she wasn’t going to wash her hand again now that she had the scent of Pebbles on it.
Annie said: “Mum was convinced this tall, graceful, stately beast was Billy, one of the stout, hardy pit ponies she had known in her youth. This surprised us all because we had never heard of him before, but the story was verified by a relative.
“Billy was a prize-winning pit pony from Easington Colliery and on his retirement, Mum arranged for him to be transported from Durham down to Friar Park convent gardens, to live out his years with a pig called Primrose.”
To Wyn, horses were more than animals. They were a link to her childhood, her father’s work and the mining community she grew up in. And in that special moment with Pebbles, the memories of her remarkable life seemed to come full circle.
Annie said: “We were so happy that her time at St Clare’s had prompted Mum’s memory and left us with one last story of her life.”
Thank you to Wyn and her family for sharing their story with us.