Members at Whittlebury Park Golf Club in Towcester have raised £2,450 for local charity Ride High, transforming the lives of vulnerable and disadvantaged young people and children.
The club chose Ride High as their chosen charity in 2023, collecting money from various events and other initiatives throughout the year.
Ride High supports children whose challenging circumstances and traumas make daily life a struggle. 83% of the children that come to Ride High suffer with mental health challenges. Many find it hard to engage or communicate, Ride High uses horses as a vehicle to connect with the children to help transform their lives. As part of the programme the children learn to ride and care for the horses, alongside partaking in classroom sessions and outdoor activities. They develop social and life skills, so they become happy, confident, young people who positively engaged in the outside world.
Club President Peter Coles went along to the Milton Keynes facility accompanied by his wife Chris and Committee member Sue Colby, to present a cheque for £2,450 to Ride High’s CEO, Olivia Sugdon. They enjoyed a tour of the charity house, the stables and grounds and met a group that were enjoying a session during their visit.
The cheque was handed over in the new Sensory Garden
Olivia said “Ride High is a completely self-funded charity meaning fundraising efforts, from those in the community, are essential in allowing us to continue to support the children. We have been helping the vulnerable children for over 14 years. However, the growing pressure on children’s mental health and wellbeing services means the number of children being referred to us is bigger than ever. We would like to thank everyone at Whittlebury Park for their generosity. The money raised will be able to fund a place for a child at Ride High for six months, which will be life changing”.
Peter concluded “We are thoroughly thrilled to be able to hand over our cheque to such a deserving cause. Seeing what Ride High offers such a wide variety of young adults and children and knowing the difference it makes to their lives is inspiring and I know our members will be delighted to see the results of their efforts.”
