Shropshire fundraiser may be heading to House of Lords after all

Lyn Bailey, 63, from Clee Hill, near Ludlow, was furious when told her three-year-old pet, Hayley, was not allowed at next month's event to celebrate The Brooke International Animal Welfare Organisation.

Mrs Bailey said her pet had as much right to attend as she did because Hayley had helped raise thousands of pounds by sitting in a pram at events across the county.

She said representatives from Brooke – a charity dedicated to improving the lives of working horses, donkeys and mules – had asked the Lords why Hayley could not attend and had been told it was for 'health and safety reasons'.

However, after investigating the matter House of Lords officials say there may have been a miscommunication and if Ms Bailey sends them more information they may relax the rules on dogs in Parliament.

A spokesman said: "We have not said to Ms Bailey that Hayley cannot join her at the reception. We wrote to Ms Bailey on September 5 asking for more details of the event and the reasons why a dog, other than a guide dog should be admitted, as dogs are not normally allowed into Parliament. We have never received a response."

Ms Bailey had said the House of Lords 'were barking mad' for not allowing Hayley to attend.

She said: "I would not attend if Hayley couldn't come with me. But this is fantastic. I didn't get that message last month but received lots of calls yesterday telling me there's a chance we can both attend.

"When Prince Charles came to Ludlow on Monday I told him about my situation and even gave him a kiss. I think this is a case of kissing a prince and getting to go to the ball."