A TV vet who worked with the real-life James Herriot has helped launch a touching new scheme to help owners remember their beloved pets.<\/p>\n
Peter Wright, who stars on the Channel 5 shows The Yorkshire Vet and Springtime on the Farm, joined forces with Ifor Williams Trailers, who have factories in Denbighshire and Flintshire to roll out the nationwide memorial project.<\/p>\n
The company supplied a trailer to transport a memorial bench to the World of James Herriot museum in Thirsk where the first tribute area has now opened.<\/p>\n
The bench was transported to the museum by farming brothers Rob and Dave Nicholson, who regularly feature on Springtime on the Farm and whose Cannon Hall Farm visitor attraction near Barnsley is the setting for the popular show.<\/p>\n
They were met at the museum by Peter Wright who worked with vet and author Alf Wight, better known by his pen name James Herriot.<\/p>\n
James Herriot\u2019s books about being a vet in the Yorkshire Dales have become worldwide hits and led to several TV and film adaptations, including the hugely successful All Creatures Great and Small series.<\/p>\n
The opening of the pet memorial at the museum was featured on an episode of The Yorkshire Vet.<\/p>\n
Peter Wright said the memorial at the museum would be the first of a series of pet benches to be installed around the country.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cWhat we are going to do in about 10 different locations is put a bench where people can go and sit and remember their pets, in a similar way to what we have done at the World of James Herriot.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bench is situated in a lovely walled garden in a quiet area of the World of James Herriot, which used to be our veterinary practice until 1996.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe walled garden was where we used to turn the dogs out when they were recuperating from procedures.<\/p>\n
\u201cGoing back in time it was basically part of a Georgian house and it\u2019s where Alf Wight – James Herriot – started and lived during the initial parts of his working career.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe would walk up and down there with his dogs regularly, so it\u2019s quite fitting to have it where it is.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I used to go as a school lad down to the practice when Alf Wight was there, he had only just started writing really, he had written two or three of his books by then, so I was in there pretty much from the outset.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peter said as part of the scheme, pet owners can acquire stainless steel plaques to be put into the museum\u2019s memorial area.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cThe bench and the memorial wall is overlooked by a life-sized statue of James Herriot – it\u2019s rather nice.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people are reluctant to show grief because some people don\u2019t understand and will say \u2018it\u2019s just a dog you\u2019ve lost\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut there are a vast number, especially nowadays, where pets are very much part of the family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peter said he wasn\u2019t surprised Rob and Dave Nicholson used an Ifor Williams trailer to transport the memorial bench.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cTo me, I\u2019ve always felt Ifor Williams is the summit as far as brands go.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of the farms I go on to have got Ifor Williams trailers and I always think the quality is superb.\u201d<\/p>\n
The bench brought to the museum by Rob and Dave Nicholson has a particularly poignant plaque installed \u2013 a tribute to their three-year-old Shire horse Herkules who died last June.<\/p>\n
Rob Nicholson said the creation of the English Oak bench was organised by Peter Wright and the team at The Yorkshire Vet.<\/p>\n
The brothers collected the bench from Coppice Creations at Kinlet in Worcestershire and took it to Thirsk for the launch of the pet memorial.<\/p>\n
Rob said: \u201cPeter comes very regularly to our farm and he had only been filming with Herkules for Springtime on the Farm a month or two prior to his passing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were kind enough to have a bench made in memory of Herkules who tragically passed away due to colic last summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a really lovely thing to do.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only consolation is that we have got three foals to Herkules expected this year so we are hoping that there can be at least something of a silver lining with the successful birth of those.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rob said the Ifor Williams trailer used to transport the bench to Thirsk was being used for various tasks at Cannon Hall Farm.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cThe fact it is so long and it has two dividing gates means that we can be more efficient in our transporting, and it gives more comfort to the animals.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor example, we\u2019ve used the trailer to return an American miniature stallion down to Kent, and we\u2019ve used it to drop two Swiss Valais sheep and a miniature donkey off somewhere else in Kent.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis trailer is the fifth Ifor Williams trailer that we\u2019ve got.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dave Nicholson added: \u201cThe build quality on this trailer in particular is superb.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really impressed with this trailer and Ifor Williams keeps improving them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Henry Jackson from family firm Coppice Creations, based on the border of Worcestershire and South Shropshire on the edge of the Wyre Forest, said the company was delighted to be asked by The Yorkshire Vet\u2019s production company to create the memorial bench.<\/p>\n
John Gallery, marketing director, World of James Herriot, said: \u201cWe are delighted that the installation of the first Yorkshire Vet pet memorial is at the World of James Herriot<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is testament to the ethos of James Herriot’s legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dave Robinson from North Wales-based Ifor Williams Trailers said: \u201cWe\u2019re thrilled to have played a role in the launch of the pet memorial at the World of James Herriot museum.\u201d<\/p>\n