Visitors at Shakespeare’s birthplace see horse power do its bit for charity tour
THE majestic sight of two horse-drawn carriages proved to be a real treat for visitors when a charity stagecoach tour pulled up outside Shakespeare’s Birthplace in Stratford before setting off on four-day journey to Blenheim Palace.
Eight horses and 24 passengers briefly stopped in Henley Street on Tuesday which quickly drew a crowd of visitors eager to take pictures of the charity tour group who themselves wore costumes to add even more colour to the occasion.
The 60 mile journey is raising money for Breast Cancer UK and Prostate Cancer UK and includes stopovers along the route where the horses are rested while the passengers - who self fund the trip - ask for donations to the cause.
“We started doing charity tours in 2008 and its been the same group of people every year,” said Colin Pawson, who plays a guard on one of the coaches, and is quite distinctive in his bright red long coat and a sounds a brass horn to signal the departure and arrival of the coaches as they visit the next intended destination.
This year’s charity tour started in Stratford, the birthplace of Shakespeare and ends at Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.