Leading Housebuilder saddles up support for Buckingham Riding Group
Leading housebuilder Barratt and David Wilson North Thames has recently donated £1,000 to a Buckingham riding group that helps children and young people with disabilities achieve their dreams of horse riding.
The latest donation from Barratt and David Wilson Homes is designed to support the stables following the effects of lockdown. The £1,000 donation will be used to feed a horse for an entire year and help contribute to life-changing memories and skill development for the RDA’s riders.
The riding group has around 50 children and young people, over the course of a three or four day week. The volunteers teach the children and young people how to ride, as well as vaulting skills to increase core strength and horse care and stable management. The key skills developed by the riders have been proven to have drastically positive effects in their physical and psychological development.
Founded in 1977 Buckingham RDA (Riding for the Disabled Association) began life at a stable in Stowe. In 1998 Jackie Kitchin set up a branch of the group at Shacks Barn Farm, over the years the stables merged with Greenacres RDA and in 2010 the group became Shacks Barn and Buckingham RDA, the charity it is today. Using the slogan “it’s what you can do that counts”, the charity is fully inclusive providing riding lessons to young people with a variety of mental and physical disabilities.
Fiona Suthers, Chairperson for Shacks Barn and Buckingham RDA said: “The donation from Barratt and David Wilson Homes is amazing, I am lost for words. This scale of financial support can be life changing for our children and will help look after one of the horses for up to a year.
“We have always had incredible support from the parents of the children at the group but during recent months, everyone is facing financial struggles. It makes me really sad that we rely so heavily on financial donations as we receive no government funding. When one of our horses fell sick last year, we had to raise a substantial amount of money and with coronavirus this year, support is even more crucial than ever.
Karly Williams, Sales Director at Barratt and David Wilson Homes North Thames, said: “Our Community Fund initiative is an excellent opportunity to give back to the local community. When we learnt about the brilliant work that Shacks Barn and Buckingham RDA do to broaden the horizons of disabled children in our local community, we knew we wanted to help.
“Without the exceptionally hard work that staff at the RDA put into both horses and students, equine sports can often be considered off-limits to many. Shacks Barn and Buckingham RDA has proven that with the right attitude, anyone can be inspired to pursue their dreams.”
The charity is currently raising funds for a classroom and mechanical horse. These will broaden the inclusivity of the organisation and allow students to develop their initial skills before tackling their first ride.
To find out more about the charity and the work they do, please visit www.shacksbarnrda.com
For more information on Barratt and David Wilson Homes, who are building properties in the area, please visit www.barratthomes.co.uk or www.dwh.co.uk .
