WATCH: Animals throw the best VE day ‘Paw-ty’ at Thornberry Animal Sanctuary

To commemorate VE day, Thornberry Animal Sanctuary in Rotherham hosted a light-hearted celebration at its Equine Centre and shared footage of the event on its Facebook page - delighting supporters of the charity.

The event saw resident animals don their finest party hats, gather around a table and munch on a patriotic spread - all in honour of Victory in Europe Day.

Founded in 1988, Thornberry has rescued thousands of animals, including dogs, cats, rabbits, equines and even larger species. The sanctuary operates across two sites in South Yorkshire - Ravenfield and Todwick Road, Dinnington.

It’s known for its commitment to rehabilitating animals and matching them with loving forever homes.

In a video shared on social media, the sanctuary’s animals were seen enjoying their own version of a street party - complete with bunting, Union Jack flags, and hilariously good table manners.

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The footage has over 1,500 likes on the Thornberry Animal Sanctuary account, with comments pouring in from amused and touched viewers.

Jacquie Neilson commented, “What a heartwarming post - thank you for doing and sharing. Animals played a huge part in all of our wars and deserve to be remembered too - so well done.”

Angela Meadows was particularly thrilled to spot some familiar faces: “Love this, lovely to see Ted and Dolly.”

Other fans couldn’t get enough of the animals' unexpected dining etiquette. Irene Day joked: “Love it! They’ve got better table manners than most children,” while Samantha Stanley added,:“How are they so polite? Ours would have had the table over.”

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Animal lovers were also quick to reflect on the deeper meaning of the event. Julie Wilks shared: “How wonderful. Respect to all wildlife - horses, dogs and pigeons - not forgetting the animals deployed at home helping to feed the nation.”

One standout guest was a Shetland pony dressed in a hat, which left commenters like Amanda Louise Kamencova in stitches: “The Shetland with the hat on.”

For more on Thornberry’s work or to adopt an animal, you can visit their website. Visits to the sanctuary are by appointment only, helping reduce stress for their animals and offering a more personal experience for visitors.

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