Carriage Driving For Disabled Adults In Dorset

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Year End Report

It has been a positive year, over all.

With the departure of The Miss Bush Memorial Group we are driving five days a week and still have a waiting list of service users.

We are elated that the Riding for the Disabled Association have been flexible enough to change rules, and move goal posts which allows people with disabilities to hold RDA whip (new name for the old Able Bodied Whip) positions. Thus getting rid of Discrimination and Prejudice.

Holton Lee our hosts in March introduced a Forum titled “Open Space”, opening the door for all aspects of Holton Lee and service users like us put items forward for discussion. This has produced a much closer relationship with them. We are now planning joint ventures like the Carol and Lantern walk held in early December and a proposed Joint Open day in June, not a horse show(!!) for instance.

Margaret and John Newell gave so much time and so much effort into the shows at Holton Lee. They took it from a handful of horses to seven rings, plus vintage cars, and a dog show. John Newell is still one of our trustees and extremely active.

Our energies are now directed at the group, and maximising our service.
As well as our regular users we also are committed to drive people on respite care at Holton Lee, the Green Island Trust, plus schools and disability organisations spread right across the south of England. Time to thank our volunteers for making all this possible . What wonderful people they are.

It is with sadness that we have lost the financial support of the Household Cavalry Association Dorset for the year 2009. When we heard that they had been approached to support the Household Cavalry Combat Injuries Fund, a new charity to support injured soldiers, we withdrew our application to allow it to go through unopposed. So, much fund raising needed.

All this and I still managed to travel as carer for Martin Hiscocks on a trip to Wyoming and drive a three different pairs of horses and a covered wagon down the Trails in the Teton Forest with a wagon train and Wagons West, the J box dot ranch. The Madsel family allowed us to work with the wranglers and I learned so much about their methods of keeping horses. After that Denise and I managed to get away for a break. I am so lucky to live life to the full like I do. I have too many people to thank for that here, but the people know who they are and they have been thanked by me personally any way.

We still are looking for the right minded people to join our friendly team. Right minded is anyone who thinks they will get something from it for themselves, not just doing their bit for charity.

Posted by: Wally Pitt Group Organiser EHDC