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Trustees’ Annual Report for the financial year September 1, 2024 to August 31, 2025
Lurgan Riding for the Disabled Group
Registered with the Charity Commission Northern Ireland as Lurgan RDA NIC number 104201 a:
Purpose: Lurgan RDA, a Group of the UK National Riding for the Disabled Association, works with young people with a range of disabilities and reasons for taking part in therapeutic riding sessions. The Group provides specialist tuition, training and support for people with disabilities, to ride and take part in equestrian vaulting. 7
Beneficiaries: The main beneficiaries of the Group during the year were school pupils with a range of special needs from Ceara School Lurgan and St Anthony's School Craigavon.
Activities: The Group AGM took place 10 September 2024, following which members attended an RDA Safeguarding talk and interactive session.
The Autumn term started on 17 September 2024, with the St Anthony's group of 8 participants, including one new rider. In addition to the accompanying teachers, the school bus driver has a good rapport with the children and has contributed to the session by assisting some nervous children with their rides.
The one Ceara School group started on the same day. Again, this was the more challenging class with at least child who often just stayed on the bus. In some cases where the child was unwilling to ride, but came into the riding area, the child was encouraged to allow the pony to approach to be patted. In addition children unwilling to ride, but who would wear a riding hat were given the opportunity to ride the barrel, a static piece of equipment (also used for the introduction of vaulting for more able riders) with padded seating and handles, to grip instead of the complication of reins.
The Committee decided on a new activity, especially for the Ceara riders who had,been doing rather repetitive activities each week. Pictures of ponies and tack were laminated and stuck to the walls of the riding school. It was a game of recognition and matching for the children to play as they rode round the arena — and this proved to be thought provoking & good fun! _
On 7 October three members of the Group including two Trustees attended the “travelling” National RDA Governance Meeting which was held in Stormont Building. The new CEO (Michael Bishop) and RDA UK personnel travelled the UK, talking to people in the various RDA Regions to determine Group attitudes to Governance and trustee behaviour by listening to what the Groups on the ground had to say. The exercise was to allow the National body to return and by examining Group feedback, propose a "revised Governance approach for the organisation.
The last ride before Christmas was on 3rd December. The stable lad drove the tractor and Father Christmas was in the trailer with a sack full of presents. The children were thrilled to receive their presents (ponies knitted by two members of the Group) and they loved an accompanied ride in the trailer, too! Some extra ponies were sold to the volunteers and in the schools, as a popular fundraiser for the Group. Christmas dinner was enjoyed at the Half-way House, with the riding school owner and stable lad as our guests.
Later in December, two of the Group coaches successfully updated their coaching requirements by attending an RDA Continuing Professional Development (CPD) course.
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Trustees Annual Report for the Lurgan RDA Group, Financial Year 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025. cont.
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The first ride of the New Year was on 14th January 2025. All the St Anthony’s riders were new to us, with all but one mounting and riding successfully.
One of the coaches devised a musical ride to the music of Mama Mia for the St Anthonys riders to perform at the Parents’ Day. This was a great success and very well attended, the parents were delighted and immensely proud of their children. The riders all received rosettes and plenty of photographs were taken. The following week (8th April) was the 11th riding lesson & the last of the term.
Eight children from Ceara School attended and most weeks benefited from their ride, which was often quite short, but satisfied the individual child’s expectations and abilities. I a few cases their expectations in the school and on the bus dissolved when time came to get kitted up with hat and boots, but in most - cases mounting was successful and even only a few rounds of the riding school and some beanbag collecting was sufficient for some children and benefitted them enormously.
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Ceara parents were also invited to come & see their children ride and both schools enjoyed Easter Egg Hunts in the outside arena. More knitting was done especially for Easter, with the results very well received and raising more money for the RDA Group’s funds.
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The summer term started on 29th April 25 and was fairly short, ending on 10 June. due to public holidays and other school commitments, the Ceara only had 5 riding lessons this term and St Anthony’s 6.
However some of the children took part in the Arts & Crafts competition in the RDA NI Regional Championships.
At term end St Anthony’s School sent a donation of £500 for the Lurgan Group RDA funds.
Planning: Planning included assessment of the children's fitness to ride based on parents' completed agreement forms and teachers’ advice, decisions regarding suitability and choice of the horses, preparation for activities, continuation of safeguarding requirements for volunteers, discussions and decisions on fundraising.
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Training and volunteers: Two new volunteers started with the Group, one in the Autumn of 2024, one in the Spring term 2025.
Our Coaches maintain their competence as required and tested by the RDA organisation, on-line and in person.
Achievements: We had our main Fundraiser at Tesco in Lurgan on 13 February 2025. _ _ £776 was a most satisfactory result, despite the card reader not working, which in today’s cashless society reduces the amount of available ready cash from potential donors. We are grateful extremely grateful again to the Tesco management in allowing their facilities to be used by the Group for the day.
The Group considers it a major achievement to be able to report continuation of normal activities with the two schools and the Ballyknock Riding School. In addition we supported 'and encouraged participation and gained success in National and Regional competitions as appropriate for the two groups of riders.
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This year saw several instances of eventual success in gentle, consistent and persistent persuasion of some of the few children with especially difficult behaviours in either riding, or even just being able to approach the pony and get a result for themselves and the volunteers.
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Trustees Annual Report for the Lurgan RDA Group, Financial Year 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025. cont.
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The Group's delivery of service to the standards required is a credit to the volunteers and an overall benefit to the children of both schools, now routinely attending and enjoying weekly riding classes during term time.
Mitigation of Harm: In providing the voluntary service to our beneficiaries, the Group continued to ensure that its volunteers received the necessary training and awareness of their responsibilities under safeguarding regulations and health and safety requirements of the RDA. To carry out our activities, coaches and office bearers are in possession of the required qualifications. Risk assessments are carried out and reviewed in order to ensure the safe delivery of the activities provided. A number of Group volunteers have current certification in First Aid at Work training, which will be renewed as necessary to ensure that at least one volunteer is.designated to act as First Aider at — each session.
Private Benefit: No private benefit has been derived by anyone in connection with the Group. Ballyknock riding establishment continued to provide the Group with facilities at very favourable rates, much less than the usual commercial cost, for which the Group is very grateful.
Financial position: As reported, the traditional Lurgan RDA Collection Day at Lurgan Tesco took place again in 2025.
As recorded in the accompanying end of year financial statement, the Group's expenditure was £2,367 including hire of ponies, RDA membership, insurances and subscription fees.
Total income of £2,559 was made up of donations, for which we are extremely grateful and amounts from the stated fundraising activities. This resulted in a small surplus for the year of £192. A closing balance of £1,925 will enable the Group to continue its activities over the forthcoming year, but will require fundraising to at least the same amount during next financial year.
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In setting our objectives, planning and carrying out our activities for the year, the trustees have given careful consideration to the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland's guidance on public benefit to, . ensure that the activities have continued to achieve the charity's purposes.
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Signed for the Trustees of Lurgan RDA, NIC no: 104201, for the financial year, September 1, 2024 to August 31, 2025
Sara McCorkell, Group Chairperson
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Terry Ingles, Group Charity contact: 98 Kilntown Road. Dromore. Co Down, BT25 IHS Anne Cochrane
Anne Elise Coburn Sheelagh McAfee Hilary Idzikowska ) Patricia McLean
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