A Lancashire city’s nativity parade has been saved after locals clamoured towards an obvious try to ban its use of donkeys.
Atherton, between Wigan and Bolton, hosts an annual Christmas procession that includes nativity characters and donkeys.
The animals are sometimes dressed up with Christmas-themed adornments and are used to provide rides to children who’re a part of the procession.
On Friday the councillor for the realm stated the occasion must be axed, blaming Wigan Council.
Cllr Stuart Gerrard stated ‘resolution made’ by the authority meant animals couldn’t be used.
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Because the last-minute resolution left inadequate time to transform the parade, it must be axed, he added.
The transfer sparked an outcry, with residents accusing the council of threatening the city’s ‘traditions and freedoms’.
‘That is completely unacceptable’, Adrian White, administrator of a group Fb group, fumed on the weekend.
‘The nativity is such a beautiful Christian celebration and that is one other assault on our freedoms.
‘As a substitute of making an attempt to defend their actions and accepting them we should always stand collectively as a group and yell NO!’
Labour councillor for neighbouring Tyldesley, Jess Eastoe, argued: ‘Hear me out however may it simply go forward with out donkeys?
‘Isn’t the star of the present child Jesus anyway?’
The parade’s organisers, Atherton Residents’ Affiliation, have since stated the occasion will go forward ‘donkeys and all’, claiming the risk was right down to a misunderstanding on the council.
‘It appears there was some confusion amongst some officers relating to the council’s coverage on the usage of animals in community-run occasions versus council-run occasions and this wasn’t relayed correctly to the organisers,’ a spokesperson wrote.
‘The officer in cost has apologised sincerely, and I’m more than happy that the whole lot has now been cleared up so the occasion can go forward as deliberate.’
Wigan Council instructed Wigan Right now the authority banned the usage of dwell animals ‘for leisure functions’ in council-run occasions.
However because the parade is a ‘group occasion’, the identical guidelines don’t apply to it, although it was urged to prioritise animal welfare.
The obvious mix-up was derided by locals, a number of of whom took to social media to counsel the council was ‘led by donkeys’.
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