Sue Ryder Manorlands
We are delighted to be chosen to benefit from the 2023 Oxenhope Straw Race.
It costs £13,000 per day to deliver the care provided by Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice and all our services are completely free of charge, so we’re incredibly grateful to everyone who has continued to support us through these difficult times.
The ongoing support of the Straw Race over the years has helped us to continue to provide our care in the local community and beyond, ensuring people’s final days are filled with cherished memories and love.
At the end of someone’s life, our Sue Ryder nurses, therapists, counsellors and physiotherapists can make all the difference. Whether in someone’s home or in our hospices, our specialist teams pull out all the stops to provide the expert care someone needs.
But what does this care really look like?
“The daughter of one of our patients shared that one of her most precious memories during her Mums illness were being in the grounds of the hospice with her family on a warm summer’s day. Her mother was in a wheelchair, and they walked around the grounds together to enjoy the flowers and surrounding wildlife, her granddaughter running ahead to pick flowers, which she gave to her grandmother. It was a special moment for the family – and one of her favourite family photos taken during their time together.”
We take care of the practicalities; providing space for friendships, family and favourite pastimes, leaving families to focus on what’s really important, love. The support from people like you is at the heart of our work and makes a huge difference.
Everyone at Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice would like to thank the Straw Race Committee and all the participants for their valuable support, it really is very much appreciated.
Riding for the Disabled
The group was establishing in 2001, with 1 pony, 1 rider and 3 volunteers. It started by delivering one riding sessions for half an hour on a Saturday teatime.
Over the years the group has grown way above its expectations and now provides a wide portfolio of activities that include horse riding for therapy, recreation and competitive sport ( both RDA National championships and the Special Olympics), mechanical horse riding sessions for intensive therapy, stable management where all aspects of horse care are learned, after school and holiday clubs, after noon tea with a pony ( target group dementia and the elderly), work experience, Young equestrian leader award bronze, silver and gold and Awards scheme development and accreditation qualifications for disabled young people. In addition, we offer volunteering opportunities to the community.
The group offers all their activities 6 days a week – with the horses needing their rest day on a Sunday. We are unique in the RDA world as we focus only on disabled people and their needs ( most RDA groups are linked to a livery yard or an able bodied riding school ) This benefits the people we help but puts pressure on our resources as we have no income generated by an additional business. We are staffed but rely on some staff also volunteering to keep up with the increasing work load.
Our fundraising is ongoing all year round. It costs us an average of £200,000 a year to maintain the group with a quarter of this being the cost of feeding and maintaining the welfare of our RDA horses and ponies – without which we have no group!
We Now have 75 riders per week engaging in our activities. We receive an average of 2 additional requests per week for therapy sessions and always have a waiting list. We try, where possible, to accommodate all those on the list by engaging them through a taster session and inviting them to join after school and holiday club ( most are children) . We them filter them into an appropriate slot as soon as one is available.
10 specifically trained horses which need care 7 days a week , 52 weeks of the year – they don’t know its Christmas Day!
23 volunteers with 79% being young people and 18% being disabled riders that transition to volunteering. Many of our young people come to us with anxiety, mental health or gender identity issues – sometimes all three. We are seen as a safe and empathetic destination for them to feel safe, overcome their issues, make new friends all whilst learning all aspects of horse care and supporting disabled people in sessions. We see young people grow and see long term friendships develop between disabled participants and their able-bodied peers. The young volunteers take pride in supporting their peers at competitions and fun is had by all.
Haworth RDA have their own special Olympic squad who have competed in Germany, Abu Dhabi, Liverpool, world games and national games. We are part of the Yorkshire and Humberside team and affiliated with Dearne Valley Special Olympics. We attend regular training sessions with the Yorkshire and Humber team . All special Olympic participation is designed to nurture independence whilst building skills, confidence and self-esteem.
Although Haworth RDA does have an income from activities, due to the nature of the work we undertake and the costs incurred of using horses for therapy , it does not cover all our outgoings – on average it covers about a quarter of our expenditure. Therefore it is grants and donations that we receive from funding bodies like “The Oxenhope Straw Race” that ensure we can not just survive but continue to deliver our activities to those that most need them.
Registered charity 1177287
