Not so boxy jumper

Leading the charge of international horses to Greenwich for the 2012 Olympics is an unlikely character: Benson The Talking Topiary Horse. His athletic pose is the result of 10 years intensive training at a nursey in Italy. But rather than compete with the equestrian mob in the park stadium, Benson is here on a charitable mission. He invites visitors to his hurdle to have their photo taken with him and donate £1 to the Alzheimer’s Society.

You’ll find him at 16 St Alfege’s Passage, outside the B&B run by Robert Gray. He is posting his utterances on facebook and tweeting (braying, surely!) @BensonTalks.