Trustees Annual Report Brentford Riding for the Disabled Group 1st April 2022 - 31st March 2023 Charity Number NIC 104625 The Charity exists to provide therapeulic riding and associated activities for children with special needs attending special needs schools in the Belfast area and has been providing rides to pupils of Fleming Fulton School for many years. Rides take pla at Lusks Riding School in Caryduff. Improved core strength, balan and c(>ordination are some of the physical beneffts as well as the sense of achievement and enjoyment provided for the riders through contact with a horse, even by children initially nervous or unwilling to take part. The principal contact for the Charity Commission is Mrs Kathy Stewart of 81 Ballykeel Road, Moneyreagh, Newtownards, BT23 6BW. The period under review is the first full year of activty after 20 months of closure due to the Coronovirus pandemic. Out of a possible 28 weeks to April-march 2023. rides went ahead on 25 weeks which compared favourably to only 14 weeks in the petiod April-march 2022. The three weeks cancelled were due to transport issues, lack of physiotherapist cover and icy weather. Fleming Fulton provides a dedicated physiotherapist contact and at the start of each school year a pool of potential riders is identified. We were able to accommodate up to four rider5 at each session and a total of 96 rides were provided to 8 children during the 12 months under review. As most of the children were with us for an extended period, pleasing progress was made. Very positive unsolicrted feedback was received from the school's physiotherapist reinforcing this view. The move to Lusks Riding School at Carryduff in 2022 has proved to be very successful with good availabilty of suitable riding school ponies and the use of a large indoor school. A quiet lane enables rides to also go for occasional short hacks in the good weather which both tr children and volunteers enjoy. ile all facilities including the ponies are provided free of charge, donations are made each term to help towards riding school overheads induding the upkeep of ponies. We would like to fonnally record our thanks to the proprietor of Lusks Riding School. Denise Neill and her staff for all their assistan to us. We are fortunate in having a very loyal group of volunteers and during the year under review we were fortunate to welcome 5 new recruits bringing our volunteer numbers to 26 (induding our two coaches). We would like to fonnally acknowledge the contribution made by all our volunteers. who faithfully tum up week after week and without whom we would be unable to cary out any activity. The Trustees met regularly throughout the year to enable planning and management of on- going activity and to ensure completh'on of all necessary reporting and complian papenNork. Every effort is made by the Trustees to ensure that sessions are conducted safely by using suitably qualified coaches and trained volunteers, and a qualffied First Alder is always in attendance. The Group has a safeguarding policy, and all volunteers are required to have an enhanced Access Nl check as well as providing referens. Thanks are due to all the Trustees for their hard work and completion of training as required. In the financial year to March 2023, donations received from Fleming Fulton towards riding school costs eXded payments made to Lusks due to timing issues around ripts and
payments. As a resuft, after Insuran and other minor MIslIaneoUS expenditure including training, a small surplus was recorded. The donations from Fleming Fulton have put the Group's finan5 on a more secure footing ar cutrent reserves should therefore cover insurance costs and other small items of expenditure for more than 10 years. We therefore look fonNard to the future with confidence but with the knowledge that should reserves fall to an unsustainable level, fvrther donations andlor fvrKlraising will be required to continue to operate. We consider the Trustees have had regard to the Commission's guidance on public benefft and have fulfilled our obligations in this respecL Signed A. Q, Mrs Kathy Stewart on behalf of the Trustees of the Group