It was with great pleasure and excitement that HRH The Princess Royal visited the Equestrian Centre.
Her return visit was to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Indoor Riding School which she originally opened. Also to celebrate our commitment and support for Riding for the Disabled (RDA)provision.
It was a very proud day for all involved. A wonderful chance to celebrate alongside our community and showcase how our RDA provision is intertwined with the Riding School.
HRH spent over an hour at the Centre. Seeing for herself how the Charity provides such opportunities in this unique Victorian Fort.
Our RDA sessions run every day. Ranging from walk outs, group lessons and stable management sessions. It is going from strength to strength. Thanks to the support of a fundraising campaign last year, we will be able to provide carriage driving as an additional provision.
In the November we started a relationship with a local day service.(Creative Advances) Which enables a group of volunteers to attend the Equestrian Centre daily to assist in the care of the horses and various other animals we have on site. HRH got to meet the group on the yard.
So a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone whose work and dedication made this such a wonderful celebration!
(photography credit to Joe Smith and Joe Cuthbertson from Havant and Southdowns College for taking the photos!)
The staff, parents and supporters also had the opportunity to meet HRH. There was clearly plenty to chat about!
The day presented another opportunity for the Charity to recognise the longstanding work and commitment of Bob Cooper. Bob was there alongside Peter Ashley at the start and has been pivotal in making the Charity what it is now.
HRH presented Bob with the Honorary Castellan award for his 26 years service as a Trustee, including 7 years as Chair.
Darren Bridgman, CEO of the Peter Ashley Activity Centres Trust, said ” We were thrilled to welcome HRH The Princess Royal to the Fort Widley Equestrian Centre. part of the Peter Ashley Activity Centre family on Wednesday 26th January. Both our RDA provision and wider Equestrian opportunities are extremely well attended by members of our local community. Being able to celebrate this along side commemorating the 25th anniversary of our indoor riding school is very special to us as a Charity”
