Other horses she has adopted are Everdon, a liver chestnut, and Lizzie, a bay, both from Bransby Home of Rest at Saxilby, Lincoln and William, who is her latest adoptee, also a bay from Hillside Animal Sanctuary at Norwich and of course, not forgetting Dessert Orchid.

Apart from horses, Sandra also adopts badgers at Secret World – Somerset, an animal sanctuary where the injured and orphaned animals are nursed and cared for and, at an appropriate time, released again into the wild, at especially chosen sites.

Sandra has been bestowed a most prestigious accolade, she has had a dedication to her in the book “Rural Portraits” to be published in May by Polly Pullar and illustrated by Keith Brockie.

' Sandra Nicholls for whom I have great Admiration’

Polly Pullar has also written ‘Dancing with Ospreys’

Sandra became a personal friend of Polly’s through an article featured in “People’s Friend” magazine when she wrote to the editor, in response to Polly’s article and the editor passed her letter onto Polly, they have corresponded regularly for the past twelve months.