Charities
April 18th 2021
Our Annual Programme
Each year we choose 12 charities to support through our monthly collections.
Here are the charities we have selected for the remainder of this year:
May - The Horse Course
June - The Pilsdon Community
July - Leap
August - Freedom from Torture
September - Tools for Self-Reliance
October - Home Start
November - Mercy Ships
December - Bridport Food Bank
The HorseCourse
TheHorseCourse is a leader in well-evidenced high impact equine-assisted interventions. Having proven our work in prisons, we have established a busy community-based HQ in Weymouth, Dorset, UK. Employing 6 facilitators and 14 horses, we work with young people from 8 years old, families and adults. In Dorset we help at least 500 extremely troubled people each year, and we do not charge the participants – our funding comes from a mix of commissioning and charitable grants/donations. We also provide Alternative Provision for young people out of education, accredited qualifications (in partnership with Weymouth College), and supported volunteering through our Working Wellies project.
We train and assess others to replicate our programmes and we work hard to support them in setting up their own centres around the UK. Independent centres running our programmes are becoming increasingly busy and more are opening. We monitor their impact data to ensure they are as effective as we are, and provide ongoing support and training.
As an essential service recognised by our local authority, we have stayed open throughout the pandemic (including during lockdowns) to support those in greatest need. Our professional referrers from Social Care, NHS and local schools are fantastic partners, working with us to triage and support families and individuals – thank you all, it is a privilege to work alongside you as always.
We continually re-organise our site in line with Government guidance. Working in the open and in airy barns makes ours a relatively safe environment and support from our funders and from Government has enabled us to deploy staff flexibly.
Our wonderful "Working Wellies" (supported volunteers) are onsite helping keep it clean and productive whenever they can be and keep in touch via zoom when we have to restrict access.
Visit the website for more information, photographs and to donate if you wish.