A WOMAN’S dying wish to see her beloved horse for a final time was fulfilled when it was allowed to visit her at a hospice.

Carol Pearson, 61, was being treated at East Lancashire Hospice in Blackburn as she battled an aggressive form of cancer when the tearful reunion took place.

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Her family have spoken of the emotional final meeting to mark Hospice Care Week, which begins today.

Carol, who died on June 21, just nine days after the visit, was passionate about horses and ran the Clitheroe-based Gee-Up Equine laundry with her daughter, Emma, 25.

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She had owned Teddy, a 15-year-old Belgian Warmblood for 12 years and the family also keep Time, a 28-year-old Shetland.

Emma said that the idea of the equine visit came about when one of the hospice staff said that unusual requests could be accommodated.

Emma said: “A nurse saw a picture of Teddy at her bedside and said that a visit was possible. I had always promised mum I’d get her back on Teddy, she was absolutely devoted to him and when she got her own horse it was the realisation of a life-long dream.

“To take the horses there was the next best thing to her riding them so we drove over in a trailer.

“Mum’s bed had been taken outside into the gardens. She was dozing and I gently woke her saying ‘look who’s come to see you’. When she saw Teddy she was overwhelmed and had the biggest, brightest smile I’ve ever seen light up her face.

“It was like Teddy and Time knew as they nuzzled up to her.

“Teddy is sometimes wary but he didn’t waver, he even ducked under a parasol. They were both good as gold the entire time.”

Mrs Pearson, who also left husband Carl, 61, and son Nick, 27, spent around two hours with the horses before saying her final farewells. Emma also paid tribute to the care her mother had during her final days at East Lancashire Hospice.

She said: “We never had a worry about how she was looked after at the hospice.

“The staff there are wonderful, they look after the family as well as the patient.

“To know mum was so superbly looked after in her final days was a great comfort.”

Gaynor Barlow, head of the in-patient unit at the hospice, said: “The day was very emotional for both family and staff.

“I felt privileged to have been a part of something so wonderful, making special memories for the family.

“It is a memory I will treasure knowing that we made it possible to meet this lady’s wish to see her horses.

“At the hospice we go that extra mile to meet patients’ and families’ wishes no matter how big or small.”