'TOO BIG TO RIDE'
I’m so worried about obese kids riding my donkeys I weigh them first
An obesity worker has blasted the move as 'completely unacceptable'
A SEASIDE donkey ride boss is so worried about obese kids he now weighs them before they climb on to the saddle.
John Nuttall, 66, said children were asked to step on a set of scales if they appeared to weigh over 6st.
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The dad of four, whose family has been operating in Lincolnshire for more than 100 years, said: “Some are just too big to ride a donkey.
“The welfare of the animals has to come first.”
But Obesity Health Alliance director Katharine Jenner said: “It is completely unacceptable to weigh a child in public and then say they can’t go on a ride.”
She added: “It’s the unhealthy food and drink that they have on their plates, in their high streets, in their schools.
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"That’s where we should be focusing our attention to try and improve what children are being given, rather than embarrassing them about their size.”
But John, who operates on beaches in Skegness and Cleethorpes, said: “People are understanding.
“It’s about the donkeys.
“It’s a sign of the times.
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“Years ago you never had that.
“Kids were fit and healthy.”
John, whose company operates on beaches in Skegness and Cleethorpes, has put up weighing stations on the sand.
Riders must also be under 4ft 7in and aged ten or under.