One of the major attractions in Blackpool Beach is the Donkey
Rides. Yes, Donkey Rides are a great way to enjoy the Blackpool beach.
The first Donkey rides in Blackpool
were introduced in the late 1890s’. It is believed that Margate was the first
place to offer Donkey rides on the beach to tourists.
The donkey’s owner has to ensure that the
donkeys pass a series of inspections. For the donkeys to be allowed to work on Blackpools beach they must first pass
a veterinarian’s inspection, plus a mandatory annual health check. Then their
owners have to present the donkeys, their health certificate and the insurance
certificate to Blackpool councils officials. If all is well only than the
donkeys are allowed to work.
One of the pain points the children who
wished to ride or the donkey owners faced is the absence of monetary change. Due to non-availability of the
change, many children missed the famous Blackpool Donkey rides.
In this era of ePayments, Mark
Ineson, owner of the beachside Real Donkeys company, approached Barclays to
help him out with a simple electronic payment solution which would be gainful
for himself, kids, kids parents and the donkeys.
Barclaycard technologists collaborated with
designers Seymourpowell to build
Dillon’s new tack, ensuring the technology was seamlessly integrated and the
saddle a comfortable fit.
The end result was, Dillon the donkey has got the
world’s first contactless payment saddle.
In simple terms, this innovation
means that parents can touch a contactless credit or debit card (from any bank
that offers the technology) to pay for a ride down the Blackpool Sands.
