Newsletter - February 2022

This month we are going to focus on the great work done by our charitable trust, and what follows is an update kindly prepared by Debra Moorby, our charity grants co-ordinator.

Autism Angels is a charity that specialises in empowering families with children with additional needs such as autism. Mental and emotional health is their primary focus and Autism Angels combines a therapeutic coaching approach with equine facility coaching. Working with this model enables individuals, families and professionals to gain new insights into how they communicate and connect with others and the wider world around them. 

They have a fantastic team of volunteers who help them deliver their sessions and events throughout the year. Last year the funds that they received from the Loriners was to provide a mounting block with handrails to assist the children getting on and off the horses. 

We support the World Horse Welfare Organisation. They never ask for large amounts of money and this year the charity requested a contribution of £500 towards the cost of continuing their work in improving harnesses in Zimbabwe.

Members of the WHW Team attended to 517 ponies at their clinics in Zimbabwe gathering huge amounts of invaluable insight into the welfare challenges around harnesses and bits. Currently a single clinic can see up to 200 ponies and whilst their vets are qualified and are now able to treat the symptoms, they cannot address the routine cause and the WHW are looking to focus on prevention as well as providing a cure going forward.

The British Horse Society will be a name that you all recognise more as they are the largest and most influential equestrian charity in the UK with nearly 120,000 members. Horses are providing a life changing experience for many millions of people who enjoy them whether the person is with a disability, social excluded adult or one of the thousands of the people who ride socially.

They are running a project called Changing Lives Through Horses.

It aims to inspire disengaged individuals to reconnect with society through the magic of horses and to give young people (regardless of their background) the opportunity to develop skills enabling the return to education and/or employment. Currently, more than 40 children a day are expelled from school. Whilst some centres have been able to offer limited places during the pandemic, it is anticipated that as a result there will be an increase in young people who are not attending school experiencing mental and social challenges. How could we not consider making a grant to this worthwhile project?

One of the newer charities that we are now supporting is Racing Welfare. Racing Welfare is the only charity in the UK that provides support for the whole of the horse racing industry’s workforce from recruitment to retirement enabling them to thrive in everyday life and through a range of challenges specific to career in racing.

They have tremendous projects on the go at all times and we are now giving them support for their project allied Life Skills Programme which aims to ensure that young people receive support as they enter the horseracing industries from the age of 16 years and older. Many of these students come from deprived backgrounds. The Life Skills Programme and Racing Welfare are looking to create an overall proactive holistic approach supporting young people in the thoroughbred racing and breeding industry.

Charitable support - by giving or by volunteering - is a fundamental part of the life of Livery Companies. Indeed, as a group, we are the 6th biggest donors in the UK. The examples above show how what we do does "make a big difference'' and we would like to do more! To do so, we need more donations to our charitable trust. We therefore urge you to set up a standing order, however modest, to support us. A standing order form is available here although you may prefer to set one up through your online banking. In either case, please let the Clerk know and she will ensure that a gift aid declaration is in place.

And finally...

A great selection of photographs of the Installation Dinner on 20th January are available by clicking here.

Please save the date for the Mansion House Banquet on Friday 27th May, with many more details to follow soon!