YOUNGSTERS put donkeys through their paces at an annual derby day in West Oxfordshire.

The village Donkey Derby was held in Bampton on Monday in aid of hundreds of senior citizens in the village.

Fourteen donkeys were brought in from Weston-super-Mare to raise funds for a holiday for the pensioners in the tourist hotspot tomorrow.

Crowds gathered in Sandford Field for the cause and raced in the donkey derby throughout the day.

The race winner was Isabella Owens, 10, from Standlake, near Witney, who was up against her brother William Owens, six.

She said: “The race went really well and it was great fun.

“I was racing my brother – I was really happy when I won.”

Mum Jenny Owens added: “It is the second year we have been. It is always a bit damp but always fun and well worth a visit – plus it is for a great cause.”

The 106 Bamptonians will travel to the seaside resort in Somerset on two coaches.