Lowestoft Riding for the Disabled Group Receive £5,000 Donation

Lowestoft Riding for the Disabled Group Receive £5,000 Donation

Awarded emergency funding by Wooden Spoon, the children’s charity of rugby

Lowestoft, April 28th 2020: Lowestoft Riding for the Disabled (RDA) Group* is today delighted to announce that it has been awarded £5,000 in emergency funding by Wooden Spoon, the children’s charity for rugby. 

The Wooden Spoon Emergency Funding Project will ensure that the RDA horses and ponies can be fed. Due to Corvid-19 lockdown restrictions, Pakefield Riding School had to close to the public on 23rd March and stop all Riding for the Disabled activities. Under normal circumstances, 50 riders a week would benefit from riding and stable management sessions.

Tess Hardy M.B.E., owner of the riding school for over 70 years, said “We have 10 horses and ponies that are used for RDA activities. It costs in excess of £50 per horse, per week for feed including hay. We are currently using our savings to feed the horses and maintain their health”. 

The Wooden Spoon Emergency Funding Project recognises that the riding school’s income stream has ceased completely. The £5,000 donation represents the cost of feeding the ten horses and ponies used for RDA work for 10 weeks.

Mrs Hardy further explains “It takes a very special animal to undertake RDA work, and a long time to train and accustom them to the role, they are precious assets to our organisation” and adds “This is the first time in our long history we have had to close and we cannot wait to see people’s smiling faces coming through our gates again”.