As you're probably aware, I've been involved with the Riding for the Disabled Association for almost five years and this year, the RDA are turning 40! To celebrate, and to raise money for this great cause, a few mad souls - me included - will be throwing ourselves out of a plane on Sunday 11th October 2009. I shall be raising money for both the National RDA as well as my local RDA group, SAMBER. Please donate online for the RDA via this webpage, or send me a cheque directly for SAMBER RDA Group.
I've been secretary of the SAMBER Group for almost four years now, and love my time there. We help children from three local special needs schools enjoy all the physical and emotional benefits of horse riding. The gentle rocking motion of a horse in walk is excellent for our CP [cerebral palsy] children for example, helping to stack the spine correctly and building core muscle strength; some parents have reported seeing a visual change in their child's muscle tone helping them to sit more upright, unaided, for longer. We also encourage stretching and co-ordination exercises with shapes and colours, learning to concentrate in class or to relax out on a hack, building relationships with the pony and our volunteers and increasing communication, whether it be by signing or to encourage more vocal sounds. We have had children who haven't said a word all year in school and then have gob-smacked us all by asking their pony to 'walk on'!
So please get involved and help us continue this invaluable work. This JustGiving website allows you to donate online by credit, debit or paypal and is totally secure. Your details are safe and they’ll send your money directly to us and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So please dig deep and donate now - that way, they might even let me wear a parachute!!!
