ST
LOWLANDS FARM RIDING FOR THE DISABLED ASSOCIATION
Registered under Charity Number 1169453
(A Member Group of Riding for Disabled Association Incorporating Carriage Driving, Registered under Charity number 244108)
Trustee Annual Report
Financial Year ended 31[st] March 2025
Lowlands Farm Riding for the Disabled Association became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) on 3[rd] October 2016.
The Constitution is the standard CIO Constitution of the Riding for the Disabled Association adopted at a meeting on 8[th] July 2016. The aim of the Charity is to provide disabled children and adults in Shrewley and the surrounding areas with the opportunity to ride and experience equestrian activities, to benefit their health and wellbeing.
The Charity’s correspondence address is Lowlands Farm RDA Group, Lowlands Equestrian Centre, Old Warwick Road, Shrewley, Warwickshire, CV35 7AX. The activities of the Group take place at this address.
The Charity’s bankers throughout the year were NatWest Bank, Royal Priors, 59 The Parade, Leamington Spa CV32 4ZX, as in previous years.
The Trustees during the year to 31[st] March 2025 were as follows:
-
Miss Marisa Bretherton-Mackay – Chair (re-elected Trustee 18[th] January 2025)
-
Mrs Louise Clarke – Treasurer (re-elected Trustee 27[th] January 2024)
-
Mr. David Ivens – Secretary (re-elected Secretary 27[th] January 2024)
-
Mrs Alex Claughton – Participant Representative (re-elected as Trustee 14[th] January 2023)
-
Mrs Sue Mack – Coaching (re-elected as Trustee 14[th] January 2023)
-
Ms Alison Morris – Operations & Volunteers (elected as Trustee 18[th] January, 2025)
The focus during the period under review has been to continue to build on the sessions on offer to our participants and to enhance our overall services; streamlining and improving our practices and preparing contingency plans for the Group’s future operations.
The effects of the lockdown (in early Autumn 2020) have continued to echo through the Group in the period of this report with fewer volunteers and no new participants. The Group managed to maintain its activities throughout the year, with the emphasis now based on riders with similar abilities riding together which has meant a steady improvement in overall experience for existing riders. The year was notable for the disruption to our coaching resource and the departure of two key coaches in the latter part of the year leaving a considerable gap in our ability to run the sessions. Thankfully, there were Coaches in training who stepped up to the task and quickly completed their training, but a new Coaching Policy was introduced to better manage the style and purpose of the Group’s ambition. On the administrative side, a number of checks and procedures were reviewed to better manage rider safety and improve volunteer training, and practices were introduced to address the charity’s future proofing and reliance on external service
Lowlands Farm RDA Group
✉ info@lowlandsfarmrda.org.uk
Lowlands Equestrian Centre, Old Warwick Road, Shrewley, Warwick CV35 7AX
☎ 07943 239003 Registered Charity Number: 1169453
Activities
During the period 1[st] April 2024 to 31[st] March 2025, LFRDA planned to deliver a total of 707 individual activities – a huge increase on the previous year – but were reduced to 547 due to inclement weather patterns (mostly heat which made it unsafe to proceed), and the impact of coaching and volunteer shortages.
- 547 shared riding sessions, held on Saturdays, with up to four registered riders in each.
Competition:
In addition to scheduled ridden sessions on Saturdays, we were delighted to be able to enter a number of LFRDA participants to the RDA National Championships for Countryside Challenge and Dressage in July 2024 which proved to be a real morale boost to all involved. However, LFRDA funds could no longer cover the entry fees for each rider’s entry.
Participants
-
There were 29 registered participants active during the year.
-
14 of our participants were 17 and under.
-
15 were 18 and over years of age.
-
There were 0 new participants.
Fundraising
A few loyal supporters/private donors once again provided donations during the year.
Employees
The Charity has no employees but paid one self-employed coach per session on a service agreement basis (beginning September 2019) and is otherwise entirely reliant on voluntary helpers who are trained on a regular basis, according to RDA UK standards and policy. This resource came to a close in the final months of the year, with the self-employed coach leaving the charity.
Volunteers
During the year, 23 volunteers, who are now also Voting Members of the Group, provided riding and fundraising support to enable the group to carry out its prime objectives. It should be noted that the group still needs to secure more volunteers to be able to rotate with the current, already-stretched team and to support the charity’s ambitions of growth to meet the local need for its services.
New Coaches
New Coaches on the Coaching Pathway had not completed their training within the timeframe of this year, but given the circumstances towards the end of the year, worked to qualify early in the following financial year, thereby bringing the Groups coaching resource back to an operational level.
The Trustees have approved this report.
David H Ivens
Acting Chair, For and on behalf of the Board of Trustees
11[th] November, 2025
Lowlands Farm RDA Group Lowlands Equestrian Centre, Old Warwick Road, Shrewley, Warwick CV35 7AX ✉ info@lowlandsfarmrda.org.uk ☎ 07943 239003 Registered Charity Number: 1169453 ~~SS~~
LOWLANDS FARM RDA LOWLANDS FARM RDA GROUP Profit and Loss Account for year to 31st March 2025 Income . Riding Subscriptions . Donations . Other. 11,162 2100 88 13,350 Costs . Horse Hire. Admin. Computer costs. Charitable/coaching costs. Volunteers/equipmt. Office,admin, bnkg. -7,325 -3,644 -1,906 -1,215 -1,296 -15,386 Operating Loss for the Year. -2,036 Notes to the Accounts . Operating at a Loss at the current level is unsustainable. Administrative computing costs at 33% of Riding Income is unjustifiable. Lowlands Farm faces an increase in Horse Hire equating to 75% of Riding Fees and a potential increase in facility costs. The Trustees have been obligated to increase Riding Fees by £5.00 and address the costs of the present computing systems, resulting in material savings. Recognition must be given to the loyal and invaluable donations made every y_ by generous benefactors. The Trustees consider that the actions taken over the past six months will stabilise Lowlands Farm RDA Group's financial position, albeit well recognised that the current economic state of the country does not permit complacency. Gavin JH Pollock Treasurer.