Talk about a glow-up!

We are delighted to share images of the amazing transformation that our children’s rocking horse Bobby has undergone.

Once a much-beloved fixture in the Cherry Trees playroom, this classic toy had taken quite a beating over the years—including a cracked neck, a worn saddle and damaged hooves.

Last December, a visitor to the house spotted Bobby in his sorry state. She kindly arranged for a local carpenter Dan to look at him.

Dan then generously offered to take on Bobby as renovation project, working on him in his spare time.

The restoration involved several careful stages: removing and reattaching the neck using long bolts, replacing the mane and tail, and repainting the hooves.

Dan gave the hooves raised patches to make them a sensory experience for the children and added a galloping/neighing function button for extra fun. Brand new stirrups were also attached for good measure.

Bobby was originally donated to us in memory of a child named Robert—also known as Bobby—so a special name stencil was added.

Speaking shortly after completing the restoration, Dan said he had thoroughly enjoyed working on Bobby.

He said: “I really enjoyed the challenge of restoring Bobby who was a beautiful horse to start with, so I struggled to give him back!”

"I just hope the children love playing on him as much as I enjoyed giving him a full makeover.”

In May this year Bobby finally returned home, looking better than ever.

The children at Cherry Trees have loved having him back, and we are incredibly grateful to Dan for his hard work and generosity.