Horse is brought to hospital as dying woman is granted last wish

Sheila Marsh, 77, was wheeled into a car park to say goodbye to Bronwen

A photo of Sheila Marsh saying goodbye to her horse was released by the hospital trust (Andrew Foster/WWLNHS)

A dying pensioner has been granted her last wish by having her beloved horse visit her in hospital.

Sheila Marsh, 77, died hours after saying goodbye to Bronwen on Monday at the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary in Wigan.

Staff wheeled her out on her bed into the hospital car park, where Bronwen and one of her other horses were waiting.

Bronwen immediately walked towards Mrs Marsh, a nurse told the BBC, and when she gently called its name it nuzzled her cheek as she spoke to it softly.

Mrs Marsh, who previously worked at a racecourse, died hours after the visit in the early hours of Tuesday.

The grandmother had already been granted a visit by her pet dogs but told hospital staff she especially wanted to see Bronwen, who she had raised from a foal for 25 years, ITV News reported.

Her daughter, Tina, thanked everyone at the hospital for making the time before she succumbed to cancer “ever so special”.

“It took a lot for mum to talk on her last day but she clearly called Bronwen’s name and asked for a kiss,” she told the Wigan Evening Post. “There were lots of fantastic nurses that cared for my mum as if she was their mum.”