A care home in Huntingdon welcomed a special guest to mark Remembrance Day this year when Chester the horse paid residents a visit.
Chester, who is affectionately known as “The Floppy Ear Pony”, arrived at The Chase care home bedecked in a rug covered in knitted and crocheted poppies and spent the afternoon greeting residents in the garden.
“We were so grateful to be invited to The Chase care home to meet all of the wonderful people in their care,” said Chester’s owner Samantha Wenn, who served in the Royal Logistics Corps in Wiltshire for nine years and completed a six-month tour of Afghanistan in 2011.
“The staff were absolutely brilliant, and it was lovely to hear so many wonderful stories from the residents who remember their time in the war.”
Samantha and Chester, a 16-year-old Irish draft gelding, live in Sandy in Bedfordshire. The pair have previously led the town’s annual remembrance parade and this year they were part of a remembrance parade in St Neots.
In 2023, Samantha posted on her local Facebook page asking if people from the area would send in knitted poppies to cover Chester’s rug and help raise money for charity.
The post proved extremely popular and hundreds of poppies began arriving. Samantha soon had enough to cover Chester’s rug so her mum, Eileen Wenn, began sewing each poppy on by hand, a project which took six months to complete.
Meeting the residents
Residents at The Chase spent the afternoon stroking Chester’s mane, admiring his rug, and sharing anecdotes from their own lives during wartime. Many still have vivid memories of the war – from being evacuated as children, to having family members sent off to serve on the front.
“It was so wonderful welcoming Chester and Sam to the home,” said Jessa Avila, general manager at The Chase.
“At this time of year, remembering all the brave souls who fought and lost their lives in the Second World War is crucial – and for many people Chester has become a symbol of that honour and pride.
“Many of our residents’ lives were personally touched by the war – so whilst it was an enjoyable day, it was also very poignant and emotional at times as well.”
Award winners
Samantha and Chester were highly commended in the animal category at the 2025 BBC 3 Counties Radio Make A Difference Awards for their charity work for Keech Hospice Care.
“Keech Hospice Care is a charity that is very personal to myself and family after they helped and support my dad through his diagnosis with cancer,” explained Samantha.
“Sadly my father passed away back to September 2024, but his last wish was for us to continue to support Keech Hospice Care by raising funds with our charity work to help support other families who are facing hard times.”
The pair was nominated for the award by Eileen.
“My mum kept this a secret for many months, until BBC 3 Counties Radio appeared on my yard to tell me that I had made it to the final four out of thousands of applicants in the category “animal awards”. I was absolutely blown away to find this out,” said Samantha.
“Receiving this award made me incredibly proud, and I know my dad would have been very proud of me that day.”
Care home images © The Chase, award image © Samantha Wenn.
