Newbury Riding for the Disabled charity celebrates opening of its new arena, thanks to grant from Greenham Trust
A village charity celebrated the opening of a new outdoor arena with a party at the weekend.
The arena was built at the volunteer-run Newbury Riding for the Disabled, based at Wyld Court Stud, Hampstead Norreys earlier this year for weekly use by its 116 disabled riders.
The opening ceremony was held on Sunday (June 11) and saw a number of riders performing a short demonstration along with a large ribbon being cut.
The project was achieved after Greenham Trust, which was celebrating its 25th anniversary, offered £25,000 for successful applicants on the basis they raised a minimum of £5,000 in 24 hours.
Newbury RDA organised a very well attended sponsored walk and run – 5k for £5k – in May last year, raising a whopping £14,000 on the day.
This sum put the school well on its way to raising the £50,000 needed to start building the much-needed arena.
The charity, which has around 90 volunteers, 14 coaches and nine ponies, invited representatives from Greenham Trust along to the opening to say thank you for their support.
Catherine Wilson, of Newbury RDA, said: “We give a lot of joy, essential physical exercise and happiness to our children.
“Sometimes it is the only exercise and fresh air the children have in the week and we see amazing progress in physical strength and confidence over the space of a few weeks.
“We have had the use of an indoor arena, however this is very small, cold and rattles badly in the wind and rain making it unusable as it scares our ponies. We have been desperate for a new space.
“The arena has been in use now for a few months and many, many disabled children, volunteers and coaches have been able to enjoy all the benefits it offers, both from a physical health perspective but also a mental health perspective with all the fresh air and space every week.
”Our huge thanks go to Greenham Trust for making this possible and to all our fundraisers who have helped along the way.”
