GALLOPING GOODWILL: LEADING HOMEBUILDER DONATES £1,500 TO MILTON KEYNES CHARITY

Local children’s charity, Ride High, has received a £1,500 donation from Barratt Homes to help support its vital work transforming the lives of children in the Milton Keynes area.

The charity which was founded in 2008 strives to connect with children who are vulnerable and disadvantaged, and whose lives may be lacking social interactions, by hosting weekly therapeutic activity sessions that revolve around the horses at Ride High.

Most children who attend have experienced therapy of some kind before, but where more traditional methods may fail, Ride High believes its approach can break through barriers.

Helen Dixon, Fundraising and Marketing Manager at Ride High, said: “After just a couple of weeks with the horses we can see children starting to open up. These are young and vulnerable people often coping with trauma and lacking confidence. What we do is all about instilling a sense of self-worth and boosting their confidence.

“There are currently 10 groups a week, with eight children in each. The children in our groups learn to ride which gives them a huge sense of accomplishment. They’re also taught how to care for horses which in turn teaches them responsibilities they can adopt into their own lives.

“This donation from Barratt Homes means more horse sessions for our children. We are about to increase the number of children we work with to 120 every week and our plan is to expand to a second site where there is a need for our unique service, so we can help even more disadvantaged children. We wouldn’t exist without generous donations such as this one.

“From everyone here at Ride High, we would like to give Barratt Homes our most sincere thank you. Helping local charities the way it does means more than they could possibly know.”

The donation came as part of the Barratt Developments Plc Charitable Foundation, which is designed to support national and local charities, large and small, across the UK to leave a legacy in the communities in which the housebuilder operates.

Simon Francis, Managing Director at Barratt Homes Northampton, said: “As a leading housebuilder we strive to support the communities in and around the areas in which we build and we’re delighted to be able to offer Ride High a donation to support the fantastic work it does.”

To learn more about Ride High, please visit the website.

For more information about Barratt Homes in Milton Keynes, please visit the website.