Ernie had been offered as a raffle prize at a Spanish fiesta back in 2011. The Spanish man who won Ernie promptly tied his legs up with string and threw him in the boot of a car like a bag of rubbish.
A horrified English couple immediately offered to buy Ernie to save him. Afterwards, they realised they lived in an apartment and had nowhere to keep him. So guess who they called? Us!
Ernie was a young turkey who had been fattened up for the Christmas table. He was terrified of people, terrified of the open world and basically a nervous wreck.
Over the years, he developed the most amazing personality. He loved people and was in his element on our open days. He knew his name and when we would call out, he’d answer us. And he was madly in love with Isadora the pig and fought for her attention.
So many people got so attached to Ernie. He was one hell of a personality and an absolute pleasure to live with. Every home should have an Ernie the turkey – not just for Christmas, but for life. Ernie passed away in October 2017 after a long and happily life. We still miss him very much.