A charity that provides horse riding facilities for people with physical or mental disabilities within the South Oxfordshire and Reading areas is the latest group to receive a Covid-19 Relief Fund grant from the John Sykes Foundation.
Late last month, John Sykes, Founder and Chair of Trustees joined the foundation’s volunteer Sian McCoubrey at a weekly session of Wyfold Riding for the Disabled (WRDA) to present the cheque to Kim Fry, trustee at the WRDA with a number of volunteers and two nine-year-old riders, James Marsh and Alice Dunton.
They have attended the stables every Thursday morning for the past seven years.
Diane Lee, WRDA’s chairwoman, explained how the charity provides disabled adults and children with the opportunity to ride and/or carriage drive to benefit their physical, emotional, and social wellbeing.
“Our workforce of seven horses and ponies give therapeutic riding and driving sessions to approximately 65 riders and carriage drivers each week,” she said.
“The activities take place in our purpose-built riding arena or on the all-weather track, with rides through beautiful woods and parkland.
“The lessons are conducted by 18 trained riding coaches, 6 driving coaches, and approximately 66 dedicated volunteers. The volunteers also look after the horses and ponies under the guidance of a part-time yard manager who is our only paid employee.”
She added: “We have put all capital projects on hold for now while we ensure we have sufficient funds to run the yard.
“It costs around £45,000 per annum to ensure the organisation runs smoothly.
“Our costs include feed, vet and farrier, maintaining the building and land, paying for our part-time Yard Manager, and insuring ourselves and ponies.”
The £1,000 grant will be used to secure the day-to-day running of the yard including purchasing feed.
On hearing the announcement that the charity had been awarded with a COVID-19 Relief Fund grant, Ms Fry said: “Thank you so much to the Foundation for giving us £1,000, which is amazing.
“Such good news especially as we are using up all our winter feed now as there is no grass due to the heatwaves, we have been experiencing.”
John Sykes said it had been an honour to spend a morning at the stables, seeing the charity’s work first-hand.
“The interaction the children had with their ponies was breath-taking and it was clear to see this is of great benefit,” he said.
“I was also so impressed that the charity is run by only one part-time member of staff and a 65+ strong army of dedicated volunteers.
“It is all so very well organised and such a happy place, which I hope to visit again very soon.”
For more information on Wyfold Riding for the Disabled, visit: https://www.wyfoldrda.org.uk/
If you work or belong to a local Charity or Organisation and would like to know more or apply for a COVID-19 Relief Fund Grant, the deadline has now been extended to December 31, 2022. For details, visit: www.johnsykesfoundation.org
