The Horse Rescue Fund gets awarded a grant for the new roof!

It has been a tough winter for the Horse Rescue Fund after flooding to the stables and wind damage to the roof. During the repairs to patch the damaged roof the Trustees were told that unless action was taken soon to completely replace the ageing roofing material that has far outlived its life expectancy, they would risk damage to the fabric of the buildings. This could possibly result in a need to completely replace the stabling that is so intrinsic to the work that is carried out to rescue ill-treated, neglected and unwanted horses and ponies.

Re-roofing looked like a pipe dream due to funds dwindling for some years and with falling membership numbers and a lack of volunteers able to give their time to help fundraise for the charity. However we are in the midst of a welfare crisis in the UK and our dedicated yet small team of staff and trustees are determined to continue our work. In March a decision was made to apply to the Elise Pilkington Charitable Trust for a grant to enable us to re-roof and carry on with our work. We are delighted to announce that we have been awarded the grant and we will be able to re-roof the stables before the winter weather sets in.

Applying for this grant has been one of the most prudent decisions the Trustees of HRF have made in many years. When the application was sent off, who could have imagined the position we would all be in when it was granted just a few weeks later. COVID-19 lockdown has put a stop to all our planned fundraising events for the foreseeable future. No shows, no supermarket collections, no events; all in the year when, to help fill the deficit in funds we have been experiencing, we had many extra events planned to celebrate our twentieth anniversary of moving into our current headquarters at Woodstock Farm. It was a relief to know that, thanks to the Elise Pilkington Charitable Trust, re-roofing was one thing off the long list of costs for which we will have to find new ways of fundraising.

We are predicting that, with the economic climate in turmoil, we will experience a surge in cases of horses and ponies needing our help. We work alongside several other larger organisations and we are all collected under the National Equine Welfare Council umbrella. To adhere to this affiliation, we have to comply with certain practices and protocol to ensure best practice is always maintained and we have high standards of care of our horses. This is costly to us and as a small organisation we are often overlooked for funding. However, we are very proud of our standards and we pride ourselves in knowing that every horse we rescue and rehabilitate will be rehomed into the best possible environment and live the best life. This is something that here at the Horse Rescue Fund we are determined never to compromise on.

If you would like to know more about HRF and the work that we do why not support us by joining as a member and receive our twice-yearly newsletter with news and information about the yard and charity.


Volunteer Appeal!

Calling all volunteers, we need you!

We are looking for enthusiastic people who would like to volunteer for us! We are not just looking for hands on horse people. We also need people who would like to do some fundraising, hand out leaflets, have a stall at a local event, contribute to the organisation of our show, paint or repair our showjumps, the list goes on! Please contact us for more information!


New Microchipping Guidelines

Please note all horse owners: As you may be aware the microchipping law has changed

The Equine Identification (England) Regulations 2018 requires all horses, ponies, donkeys and their hybrids in England to be microchipped by 1st October 2020.

Horses that are not currently microchipped will now need to be microchipped before this date to comply with the law.

It is also good practice to contact the organisation which issued your horse's passport to ensure all details are fully up to date.

Find out more: Making Additional Changes to a BHS Passport

For those of you with Horse Rescue Fund horses please contact the office for our policy and more information.


Gift Aid

Gift Aid is a fantastic help to charities like Horse Rescue Fund. If you pay UK tax, we can reclaim 25p of Gift Aid for every pound you give at no extra cost to you! So next time you pay your membership or kindly donate to us don't forget to tick that Gift Aid box!!


Volunteers Needed!

If you were thinking of a way to help the Horse rescue Fund and you are able to give up a small amount of time each month to a good cause, if you care about our horses but are not able to volunteer physically on the yard or cannot afford to donate but would like a chance to make a difference why not come and chat to us about becoming a trustee of the Horse Rescue Fund?

We are also looking for some fundraising volunteers. Do you have a background in fundraising or just perhaps lots of enthusiasm and some good ideas? We have lots of events in the pipe line, but we need volunteers to help make things happen! Fundraising is critical to running the charity so even just a few hours of your time would be really appreciated and could make a big difference!


Amazon Wish List

We have an Amazon wish list! Please visit www.amazon.co.uk and click on 'your lists', type in Horse Rescue Fund into the search box and our list will come up. It's a great way to donate!


Equine Car Boots

Look out for our stand at the local equine car boot sales! We will be selling lots of donated tack to raise vital funds for HRF!