Hannah Clarke was busy running her own business, when she was forced to take time out after a serious injury.
A prolapsed disc in her neck meant three months of doing almost nothing, and the psychotherapist cautiously prepared for a change of pace.
And thankfully, Hannah was able to find solace in the most unlikely of places: her pet pig.
Now, Hannah, 55, says Colin the pig has changed her outlook on life. She tells Metro: ‘Half an hour with Colin, and my mind is clear and I feel chilled out and complete.
‘I feel lucky to have a friend like him, who insists I wind down every night.’
Hannah says she’s loved animals since she was a child, so working with therapy animals seemed like a natural fit.
She says: ‘I started working with young people who had special educational needs, and was introduced to Equine Assistance Psychotherapy – teaming horses with therapy to help people.
‘In 2010, I qualified as a psychotherapist and five years later set up Headsight with two colleagues, a therapeutic service we ran from my home in Gloucestershire, which fused my two passions of helping young people and loving animals.
‘I soon had dogs, cats, pygmy goats, geese, chickens and guinea pigs helping me help the children I looked after.’
It was around this time, that Hannah’s friend, Drea, set up One Heart Wild, a therapeutic animal sanctuary in Washington, USA.
‘I’d visit Drea’s sanctuary regularly, as we developed an animal assisted therapy programme together,’ says Hannah.
‘At One Heart Wild in May 2018, I first encountered the magic of pigs. I’d never hung out with pigs before and was amazed at how well people connected to them.
‘I realised in our language, we have so many negative phrases around pigs: ugly pig, fat pig, greedy pig. For people who might have been told they are those bad things, they can feel a connection to these misunderstood animals and might re-evaluate how they perceive themselves.
‘I thought about some of the children I worked with back home, who have complicated and complex body issues and low self esteem, and knew having a pig as part of my therapy team would be really beneficial.’
Three months later, Hannah bought a micro-pig, Colin, from a farm in Gloucestershire.
‘As he snuggled onto my lap, I thought he was just perfect,’ Hannah remembers. ‘But it turned out Colin was no micro-pig. In fact, he was going to prove himself to be bigger – and better – than I ever could have imagined.’
Colin started off living in Hannah’s house with her dogs. ‘By four months old he was too big and bossy for the house,’ she says.
‘He was such a happy, intelligent boy who immediately connected with adults and children alike.
‘I work with children who have experienced trauma and suffer with anxiety, depression and PTSD. An afternoon spent watching Colin roll around in the mud and stride around the farm with utmost confidence, gave them a boost and helped them connect with their own emotions.’
And Colin’s wellbeing is always at the forefront of Hannah’s mind. ‘Whether Colin takes part in a therapy session is always entirely up to him,’ she says. ‘Sometimes, he just wants to sunbathe and that’s fine. But when he engages with a child, he gives them such a tender moment it’s overwhelming to witness.
‘One time I was working with a timid child who had been bullied at school. She’d never seen a pig before and didn’t want to get too close, but he squealed from behind his fence and I explained, as I had learned to “speak pig” by then, that Colin was saying hello to her. She was surprised and touched that anyone would want to say hello to her.
‘Gently, Colin laid down and she knelt beside him. They had a tender moment of connection which had a profound effect on her and opened up an opportunity for us to talk. The smile on her face was incredible and I was so proud of my gentle, giant pig.’
As Colin became an integral part of Hannah’s therapy sessions, life became ever-busy, and Hannah admits she made no time to look after herself.
She says: ‘I was training all over England and driving up and down the country. I felt exhausted and my husband, Tony, was worried about me but I felt I had too much to do to slow down.
‘My body had other ideas. In September last year, I developed a terrible pain in my neck which got progressively worse. My GP sent me to a physiotherapist, who said it was a prolapsed disc.’
An MRI confirmed the diagnosis, and Hannah would need three months to recover.
‘An MRI confirmed the diagnosis and I was told in no uncertain terms I needed to reorganise my life to allow time to heal,’ she says.
‘I’d have to stop driving, working at a computer, even sitting up for more than an hour. Back home, I delegated my appointments to colleagues and prepared for three months in time out.’
And during recovery, Hannah spent a lot of time with Colin.
‘I’d witnessed him work wonders with children in my therapy sessions, but now he was helping me,’ she explains.
‘I’d sit on the sun lounger at the end of the garden and Colin would lie down under my feet so I could rub his belly. He enjoyed being sung to, as long as I stuck to Dolly Parton. He made it quite clear he didn’t like ABBA. For Dolly, he’d give me his contented pig purr. When I tried Abba, he shot me a look with his incredible golden eyes, then walked off.’
And Colin’s laid-back nature started to rub off on Hannah. She says: ‘Just by being who he is, with such emphasis on relaxing, eating good food, listening to music and enjoying quality time in the fresh air, he made me reassess my work life balance.
‘I realised I needed to slow down, not just for three months but for good.’
So, when Hannah returned to work, she scaled back.
‘When it’s time for our quality time, Colin lets me know,’ she says.
‘He lies outside the back door and squeals until I come out. We go down to the sun loungers and he makes himself comfortable in his favourite spot, closes his eyes and awaits his lullaby. As far as Colin is concerned, this is a ritual we can not miss.
‘It is so lovely that a pig seeks out that time to be with me. He values our time and that makes me feel loved.
‘No matter what has happened in my day, Colin is my meditation and my moment of peace.
‘Our friendship isn’t about talking, planning or reflecting, it’s about being present.
‘He was very good at making me realise what truly matters is the here and now because Colin doesn’t care about the big wide world.’
Hannah is now fully recovered, but she says she ‘shapes her day differently’.
‘I shape it around Colin, because he is my wellness,’ she says. ‘If I don’t come outside when he wants me to, he squeals until I do.’
Now, Hannah wants to remind people how important animal therapy can be.
‘Scientific evidence has now proved just how valuable our four-legged friends are for our mental health,’ she says.
‘Spending time with animals floods our brains with the feel good hormones serotonin and dopamine. Science has proved it and Colin has too.’
Follow Colin’s adventures on Instagram @colinthepig.
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