Newsletter kindly sponsored by Elite Racing Club A Good ... · 2017 has been a kind year to the horses. The summer was perfect, not too hot, not too wet and not too many flies. The

Newsletter kindly sponsored by Elite Racing Club

In 2003, Nigel and Penny Bunter sponsored theprestigious feature hurdle race on the Sunday of theOpen. Run over 2m ½ furlong on the Old Coursethe contest gives National Hunt racing fans someearly season pointers ahead of the ChampionHurdle, run at Cheltenham at the Festival in March– Rooster Booster (2002) was the last horse to winthis race and on to land that same season’sChampion Hurdle. The race has been won fourtimes by the Pipe stable, three times by PhilipHobbs and three times by Paul Nicholls. Much toour great honour, and their incredible generosity,Nigel and Penny named the race after our charity,we feel extremely proud that people refer to thisrace as ‘The Greatwood’ and of course the PRinvolved with this is invaluable.We were thrilled to be able to welcome ourneighbour and Patron, Alan King with his runnerElgin into the Winners Enclosure. (Many of you willremember that Nigel and Penny were Alan’slandlords at Barbury Castle up until a year ago). Alanhad desperately tried to capture this race since theearly days, therefore it was fantastic and extremelygratifying, to see Alan’s beaming smile. He wasabsolutely thrilled to bits. It is of double cheer in thatElgin is owned by Elite Racing Club who havesponsored our newsletter for years. A satisfyingresult; and to well deserving winners, who, inaddition, have been such staunch supporters of ourcharity since 2003.2017 has been a kind year to the horses. Thesummer was perfect, not too hot, not too wet andnot too many flies. The grass has been stupendous,all the horses are going into the winter in goodcondition, and we have also made some excellentquality haylage. Both factors will ensure that our billfor concentrates will not be so high as some years.There has been a healthier movement of horses thisyear, almost like the old days; more horses rehomedand more horses taken in.

The enrolment of learners at the beginning of theacademic year was somewhat slow, but thenumbers are now back to normal and we can lookforward to the same numbers of students for thePresentation Day in July 2018. More education newsis inside The number of volunteers coming to Greatwoodhas exceeded even our optimistic expectations. Wehave received stupendous help in such importantthings (that sometimes we just do not have the manpower to undertake); painting, tidying andgardening. It is such a massive help, (there is furtherinformation inside so as to reflect our gratitude)We are looking forward to 2018, we are will be

launching our new programme H O P E – HorseOpportunities Progression Employment. This is anexciting development for us, and we shall lookforward to telling you all about it in our nextnewsletter.In the meantime, we would like to thank you verymuch for supporting and helping us, this charitynever stays still and evolves and changes but alwaysremains true to its beginning. Thank you for yourcontinued belief in us.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Yearto you all, best wishes from

Helen and everyone at Greatwood.

NewsWinter 2017

CARING FOR RETIRED RACEHORSES & CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS WITH ADDITIONAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS Rainscombe Hill Farm, Clench Common, Marlborough, Wiltshire, SN8 4DT

T: 01672 514535 E: [email protected] www.greatwoodcharity.org

Registered Charity no 1117322

A Good Year All Round for Greatwood

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www.greatwoodcharity.org T: 01672 514535

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Page 2 Newbury save the date Page 3 inside this issue, The Greatwood Team, Dates for your Diary.

Page 4 & 5 Equine News Page 6 - 8 Where are they now? Page 9 Fundraising News and Thank you’sPage 10 Education, Horse Power Plus Page 11 Education Greatwood in the Garden Page 12 Education YCC

Page 13 Thank you Aqueos & Volunteers Page 14 & 15 Winter Appeal Page 16 & 17 Become a Friend ofGreatwood Page 18 The Great Walk Of Fame Page 19 Planning for Greatwood’s Future

THE GREATWOOD TEAMChairman: Michael Yeadon Founder & Managing Director Helen Yeadon [email protected]

Charity Administrator: Celia Matthes [email protected]: Sasha Thorbek-Hooper [email protected]

Education Team: Emma Cassidy, Jane Muir-Brooks & Alex Shaw [email protected] Manager: James Taylor [email protected]

Tel: 01672 514535 www.greatwoodcharity.org Greatwood, Rainscombe Hill Farm, Clench Common, Marlborough, Wiltshire, SN8 4DT

Trustees: Alison Cocks,Ian James, Jeremy Hummerstone, Richard Powell, Helen Yeadon, Michael YeadonOur Patrons: Kim Bailey, Nigel Bunter, Mick Fitzgerald, Russell Field, Lesley Field, Richard & Jemima Hannon, Nicky

Henderson, The Hon. Harry Herbert and Mrs Chica Herbert, John Jarvis CVO CBE, Mike O Kane, Jodie Kidd, Rachel King, John McCririck, Jenny McCririck, Brian Stewart-Brown,

The Rt Hon Robert Buckland QC MP, Peter Walwyn, Lady Whent

DATES FOR YOUR DIARYSaturday 3rd March 2018 – Greatwood Charity Race Day, Newbury

Saturday 23rd June 2018 – Greatwood Horse Show

Greatwood Charity Race Day - Saturday 3rd March 2018Name……………………………………………………Address………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Telephone……………………………………………………Email……………………………………□ Please let us know if you have any special dietary requirements.□ I would like further information about sponsorship opportunities□ I would like to place my owner’s colours in the race card and enclose £75.00□ I wish to apply for tickets @ £150 per head or a table of 10 @ £1500□ I enclose my cheque for £ made payable to ‘Greatwood’□ I am unable to attend but enclose a donation of £ □ I would like to provide an auction lot□ I would like to pay direct into: Weatherbys Bank Limited

Account Name: Greatwood Charity Limited. Sort Code: 60-93-03 Account number: 00590207Please send this form together with your cheque by 9th February 2018 to:

Greatwood, Rainscombe Hill Farm, Clench Common, Marlborough, Wiltshire, SN8 4DT.Please consider the option of increasing your gift at no cost to you by signing this Gift Aid Declaration:I am a UKtax payer and would like Greatwood to treat all my donations from the date of this declaration as gift aid donations.You must pay an amount of income tax and/or capital gains tax in this tax year at least equal to the tax that thecharity will claim from HM Revenue & Customs on your Gift Aid donation. The Charity will reclaim 25p of tax onevery £1 you give.

Signed: Date:

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Equine News at GreatwoodRehomed horses

Tresor De Bontee – 10 year old Tresor wasrehomed 31st July to Jill. Tresor has settled infantastically in his new home and after visitingthem we could see how much Tresor hasblossomed with Jill and what a fantastic pairingthey make. They have been going to flatwork andjumping lessons. Jill and Tresor are very ambitiousand hope to be out competing soon. Ubetterbegood – 9 year old BB was rehomedon 31st July to Karen. They have been outcompeting at their first dressage competitionwhich was a huge success and very much enjoyedby both. We are always getting lovely updatesfrom Karen to say how well behaved BB is andhow everything that is asked him he just takes inhis stride. Nawow – 17 year old Wowzer was rehomed on25th August to Nicky. Wowzer ended up goingto the same yard as BB and Karen which is alwaysnice for us at Greatwood. Nicky and Wowzer hitit off straight away they enjoy roaming around thecountryside as well as schooling and jumping athome. They are planning on going to fun ridesthrough the autumn and spring. Vamos – 11 years old and Kernoff – 6 years oldwere rehomed on 2nd September to mother anddaughter Christine and Aimee. Vamos arrived atGreatwood 4 years ago from Jersey and did sowith many quirks. When Christine first enquiredabout Vamos, it was explained that he could bemoody and very excitable on hacks but Christinewas very keen to still come and meet him. Therewas an instant bond between the pair and after acouple of successful rides it was clear to see thatChristine was taking Vamos home. We receiveregular updates from Christine and theirrelationship goes from strength to strength.Kernoff and Aimee also hit it off straight away andsince arriving in his new home they have been outand about lots of times competing in local ridingclub dressage competitions and winning their firstmini show jumping.Suehail – 8 year old Sue was rehomed on 7thOctober to Lyndsey. Sue was a still a very greenhorse when he left but showing signs of true

potential. Since settling in with Lyndsey they havebeen schooling and having lessons with their localriding club, we get regular updates from Sue andLyndsey and other than a minor teething problemwith the clippers they are getting along famously.

New arrivalsKingdom of Munster – By Danehill Dancer -Out of Kitty O’Shea – 41 runs, 1 win, £26,818 inearnings. 10 year old gelding arrived in May fromNorthern Racing College. King is a big gentlehorse with a soppy personality. He is an easygoing chap with lots to offer. Yorker – By Jet Master - Out of Little Indian –17 runs, 6 wins, £279,268 in earnings. 8 year oldbay gelding arrived in May from trainer WilliamHaggis in New Market. Yorker arrived with aninjury after finishing his racing career he’s had thesummer and winter off, we will assess him in thespring in the hope he will be entered for therehoming programme.Just Lewis – By Sir Harry Lewis - Out ofMcmahon’s River – 9 runs, 0 wins. 10 year oldgelding arrived in August from trainer Nikki Evansin South Wales. Lewis is a cracking looking horsewith big potential. After having a spell in domesticlife already we have high hopes for Lewis in thenew year.Windfast – By Exceed And Excel – Out of FairSailing – 17 runs, 3 wins, £67,175 in earnings. 6year old gelding arrived in September fromtrainer Brian Meehan in Marlborough. Windy isvery kind sweet natured horse who has taken tolife at Greatwood very comfortably. He is veryeasy going and we look forward to bringing outthe best of him next year.Loukhaar – By Westerner - Out of Gold Air –11 runs, 0 wins, £572 in earnings. 9 year oldgelding arrived in September from trainer SamGeake in Marlborough. He suffered a tear in hischeck ligament on his last outing but everythingis healing well and he will be back in work inthe spring.Eskimo Bay – By Kodiac - Out of Magilini – 4runs, 0 wins. 3 year old gelding arrived inSeptember from trainer Clive Cox in Lambourn.Affectionately known to the yard staff as Mo he is

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our smallest and youngest horse with a bigpersonality and lots of potential to fill.Bills Paid – By Bushranger - Out of Auspicious –4 runs, 0 wins, £481 in earnings. 4 year old geldingarrived in September from a young girl inMaidstone who had been made redundant andwas two days from being evicted from her liveryyard. Bill is very loveable with a laid back attitudeto life for such a young horse. Everybody isexcited about working him in the spring. Injun Sands – By Halling - Out of Serriera – 13runs, 0 wins, £16,714. 6 year old gelding arrivedin October from ROR via Fred and Rowena Cookafter they recommended Greatwood as a suitableplace for him to go. Indy is a very cheeky chappiewho loves to pick up and play with anything hecan get his teeth on.Chester’s Little Gem – By Atraf - Out ofCeylon Round – 52 runs, 3 wins, £15,246. 8 yearold mare arrived in November from Jersey afterbeing retired from racing in the spring. Chester isa stunning little mare but with a big character. Shehas only been at Greatwood for a few weeks buthas settled in very well. She is an exciting projectfor the new year.

Special mentionAfter 11 years at Greatwood Robbie Neville leftin the Spring for pastures new, when Robbiearrived with us he also brought his beloved horseSunshine Boy, very sadly in the autumn Sunshinehad to be put to sleep at the age of 21. (There isan irony here, that after so many years with us,Robbie and Sunshine left Greatwood withinmonths of each other, albeit that Robbie’s pathwas not as dramatic).Sunshine was a real character at 16.3hh he wasquite a big chap and not afraid to use his sizeagainst you. Many a time we have witnessed and

chuckled as amember of theyard teamdesperately clungto the end of a leadrope as Sunshine

made his way to or fromhis paddock. Even after 11years Sunshine could neverquite get to grips withGreatwood’s residentdonkeys Jack and Simon.There was one particulartime when Robbie himselfwas leading Sunshine andanother horse in for a feedand the donkeys hadescaped on to the yard, Sunshine seemed to grow10 feet, snort like a dragon and high tail it back tothe paddock with Robbie somehow still attached.He was a very affectionate loving horse andclearly he and Robbie had a very strong bond.Sunshine will be missed by all at Greatwood.

Knock & AldoKnock (12yo) and Aldo (11yo) have been havinglots of fun this autumn and winter seasons withJames and Millie moving into a new role ashunters with the berks and bucks drag hounds.They have exceeded all expectations, turningtheir hoof to anything put in front of them. Fromstanding lovely and still at the meet, to jumpinghedges and having the best manners whilst out. These two play a huge part in our rehomingprogramme as our lead horses, babysitting theyoungsters on their first few times out. Theirchilled out approach to life, willing to please andlovable nature has given them a lifelong homehere. Draghunting is a thrilling sport which should notbe confused with Fox hunting. In Draghunting, apack of hounds follow ascent laid by a humanrather than pursuing alive quarry. The line islaid over a pre-determined route totake advantage of thebest opportunities forjumping offered by theland crossed.

Jack and Simon

Sunshine Boy

Knock and Aldo atthe Draghunt

Equine News at Greatwood

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?CADFAEL: Age 21 years Rehomed 23rd September 1999“Cadfael is well. Getting old,he still is ridden by my sister inlaw once a week and she hasbecome very fond of him. Heis a kind and gentle soul whoenjoys the company of his field

mates. He is stabled with the rest, does not like tobe on his own.”

CHARLIE: Age 11 years Rehomed 18th March 2013“Charlie has settled welland is enjoying her life inthe SW of France. Shespends much of her timegrazing with her friendWendy, my 22 year old TB

mare. We are lucky enough to live in a denselyforested area with miles of tracks and quiet roadsfor hacking out. Three times a year we attend adressage clinic run by Denise O’Reilly, one of onlytwo people to hold a Level 3 ‘Ride with Your Mind’qualification, who comes over from Staffordshireto a local yard. As a result, Charlie has developedenormously in body muscle, self-carriage and self-confidence. She is such a willing little mare, alwaystrying her hardest to please, and respondinggenerously when her rider gets it right! The clinicsprovide us with a goal to aim for, even though wedo not compete, and through them we have builta strong partnership. I feel very lucky and privilegedto have found such a super little horse throughGreatwood. Thank you for letting me take herabroad. As a ‘more mature’ rider I no longer havethe ambition to achieve greater things, but am veryhappy to enjoy the pleasure both my mares bringand rest assured Charlie is a well-loved member ofour family.”

DEVINE COMMAND(Otto) 15 years old Rehomed 16th March 2008“Just to let you know thatour boy ‘Otto’ is doingvery well. We love him to

bits! Can’t believe how long we’ve had him now –the years are flying by quickly! Hope you like thephotos of him.”

FAST OR FREE (Fred) Age 7 yearsRehomed 12th August 2015“Owning Fred over the last 2years has been a roller coasterride, from being bucked off,breaking my little finger sobadly it required surgery torepair it, winning our firstunaffiliated dressage and then 2months later Fred beingdiagnosed with Kissing Spine!!Thankfully, Fred's condition hasbeen managed with

Corticosteroid injections, Mesotherapy and thecorrect work, and we've just been given the allclear from my vet - no operation and potentially nomore treatment!I plan to affiliate Fred with British Dressageeventually, as he's showing great promise and has3 really lovely paces. Fred is very willing to learn,but he wants to do it well. If he thinks he hasn't, hewill throw his toys out of the pram and have a totalpaddy! Owning Fred is sometimes a challenge andsometimes he tests my patience to the max, butwhen he neighs at me when I arrive at the yard, orasks for an ear scratch, I can't imagine life withoutmy gorgeous boy.”

FIFI: Age 11 years Rehomed 4th November 2013 “Fifi is really starting tomature this year. Ourdressage is reallyimproving now and weare hoping to enter ourfirst Elementary test bythe end of this year.Fifi had a bit of a toughstart to the summer asshe had an eye ulcer

that was very difficult to heal, but with the help ofDonnington Grove vets we finally got it to heal. Itwas probably just a fly or some dust that got into

Over the years Greatwood has successfully rehomedhundreds of former racehorses; here is a snapshot of justa few who have been rehomed.

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her eye which she then scratched and gave herselfa tiny ulcer that refused to heal. So Fifi had to havea couple of months off riding whilst her eye healedbut she is fine now thank goodness.We have just started having extra lessons with adressage trainer which will hopefully help us on ourcompetition trail. We also now have our own arenaat home so can ride easily whenever we want to.”

HE’S MINE TOO (Henry): Age 12 yearsRehomed 8th August 2015“Henry came into my life inAugust 2015. Over the past2 years we have been on aninteresting and fruitfuljourney. Henry was scaredof lots of things- mud! Butwe have had lots of timetogether exploring theCotswold countryside. Hehas an ongoing respiratory

problem, but it has stabilised well, and has neededno veterinary intervention. Greatwood have beenvery supportive, always happy to offer advice, andHenry and I look forward to their annual visits, sowe can show off how we are progressing. I cannotimagine not having him in my life now, he’s cheekyand playful, and once you have built a bond with athoroughbred, you have a partner for life.”

HUGO: Age 30’s Rehomed 2001“I have been asked to write about my mate Hugo.I adopted Hugo 16 years ago. The whole familyhave had a fabulous time with him. He has kept mymare company since she was 3 years old and stillis!! Has also kept Beth the cow company. Hugo hashad a wonderful life with us. Hugo has looked aftermany youngsters and teaching them the ropes outhacking over the years. He is a one off, a cheekychappie and it has been a privilege to own and takecare of him.”

MISTRESS POLLY (Polly): Age 15 yearsRehomed 19th October 2013“Polly is by far the most bad tempered mare I have

ever met. Go near herwith tack, a brush or arug and you do so at yourown peril! She kicks andbites and I am pepperedwith bruises where shehas caught me while Ihave been carrying outthe afore-mentioned

tasks! BUT, once you are in the saddle, all isforgiven. She is brave and sensible and nothingphases her. She is bomb proof in traffic and I cantake her anywhere and she doesn’t put a footwrong. We have been to camp, sponsored ridesand we go out an about in the lorry to ride indifferent places. She loves to jump and enjoys herschooling but we have had a few disagreementswhile trying to teach her new things - she verymuch decides when it is time to move on!! But herfavourite thing is to run and run and I try and allowher to do this when I can find the space!! I amblessed to have been given the opportunity to havethis horse in my life - I adore her. Thank youGreatwood.”

SUMMIT SURGE (Summit): Age 12 yearsRehomed 10th August 2015“It's been 2 plus years sinceSummit came to me and wehave taken things very slowlywith him. He can be quiteintroverted and cansometimes be lacking inconfidence so I've workedquite hard to build that up.He loves new places as longas there is nothing too scaryand getting him to come

away from the racehorse mentality has been aninteresting challenge!We tried our first show in August - he travelledreally well and behaved beautifully I was very proudof him he took it all in his stride and came homewith a ribbon. Our next goal is to complete asimple dressage test in November, so fingerscrossed..!”

THAT MAN CARTER (Nipper): Age 26 yearsRehomed 26th December 2004“Nipper had come to Greatwood with a backinjury having been rescued by a kind lady who was

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unable to care forhim. He showed astrong aversion tobeing shut in a stablehaving beenconfined evenbefore his injury for

many months and abandoned by a previous owner.Within a short time we developed anunderstanding which led to a great partnershipenjoying hunt rides and hacking on Salisbury plain.He has been ridden for many years in a rope haltermuch to the amazement of the local riders. After13 years he is now retired at 26 years old and livinghappily in his home paddock with two Shetlands forcompany.”

TICKERTY’S GIFT: Age 27 years Rehomed 24th July 2006“Tickerty’s Gift is pretty wellbut just beginning to feel/showhis age now. The picturebelow was taken recentlywhen we were getting himready to do some in-handshowing. Unfortunately hedecided not to load so he had

to stay at home!!”

WILL HE GO (Willi): Age 15 yearsRehomed 2nd September 2011“We did do a little bit of adultPc at one point Willi got veryover excited about but aseveryone always commentshe does look absolutelybeautiful when he's beingnaughty!He is a real character, he'sgrumpy and lazy with onehell of an attitude! I've

noticed he likes to be known as William or Willsnow, he responds much better to these names asstrange as that is and will ignore my dad if he shouts"Willi"He does love going out for a hack but hatesschooling with a passion throwing a massivetantrum if asked to do too much because after allit's just too much like hard work and that's not forhim.”

ZERO: Age 13 years Rehomed 11th July 2015“Zero is a 14yr old IrishTB gelding who chose mein August 2015 afterbeing returned toGreatwood from aprevious home. Beingfairly patient with myhorses I decided to startslowly in our arena tobuild up a bit of arelationship, however, it

didn’t take long before I thought it would be a goodidea to try a bit of flatwork in our nice, flat, 4 acrefield. Zero had other expectations about whatwould happen in a field and we spent the next 40minutes cantering sideways and leaping about. Ofcourse when you start something you can’t reallygive up hoping the problem goes away, so I settledfor enjoying some canter pirouettes, flying changesand half pass until we found trot and eventuallywalk. I decided from that point that we would nolonger use our floodlit sand arena and marked outa dressage arena in the field until eventually, Zeroand I could manage a prelim dressage test. We hadshow jumping lessons with Katie Williams andcompleted a couple of local one day events as wellas several fun rides and recently won an 80cm pairshunter trial. We are taking it easy with the jumpingnow and are going to concentrate on dressage andkeeping calm. Zero is a stunning and sensitivehorse who helps to keep me level headed and heis doing wonders for my core stability.”

JEFF: Age 5 years Rehomed Spring 2017“My next project was toget a younger horse that Icould hunt, so I contactedGreatwood again in earlyspring 2017. Greatwoodhad a 5 year old chestnutthat they thought wouldsuit me, having known me

from rehoming Zero in 2015. I cannot thank Jamesand Greatwood enough, this horse has beenamazing. From a horse that could barely trot a 20metre circle and had hardly seen coloured poles orcross country fences he has improved every singletime I have ridden him. He has already doneseveral fun rides, two cross country competitions,autumn hunting and spent a weekend at Pontispoolcamp learning so much new stuff.”

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Greatwood Charity Goes Vertical

On 10th November, wearing Greatwood’s racingsilks our Fundraiser Sasha along with 45employees from Octopus Investments took theplunge as part of the company’s annual abseilingcharity fundraiser. The event helped to raise over£5,500 for Octopus’s 5 chosen charities,Greatwood being one of them.

THANK YOUWe couldn’t keep on doing what we do if itwasn’t thanks to the generosity of all those whosupport us. In this newsletter we would like tothank:

• Tesco Bags of Help - towards the delivery ofthe Developing Confidence educationalprogramme during the school holidays tolearners from the local community.

• Pewsey Area Board and Pewsey LocalYouth Network - towards the delivery of theDeveloping Confidence educational programmeto learners from Pewsey Vale School.

• Elise Pilkington Charitable Trust – towardsupgrading our current water trough systemthroughout all of the barns.

• Marlborough Town Council – towards thepurchase of protective equipment to be used bylearners enrolled on the educational programmesat Greatwood.

• Didymus – towards the delivery of the GetGoing educational programme

Fundraising News

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Focus on… HorsePower PlusGreatwood delivers high quality alternative provisionto young people. HorsePower Plus is delivered as anindividual programme but can be tailor-made tocater for distinct learning needs. This programme isdesigned to assist in the transition back into mainstream classroom education or from primary tosecondary education. For each programmeindividual targets are set by the student, the schooland sometimes parents/ carers to ensure that thelearner can achieve as much as possible from theirtime at Greatwood. There is no set time scale forthese courses and they run from as short as 6 hoursessions to up to a yearlong programme dependingon the needs of the learner and the provisionrequired by the schools.

We believe in supporting the development ofpositive, compassionate attitudes towards animalsand peers from a young age. We work with thehorses, Shetland ponies, donkeys, goats, chickens,geese and dogs to build an understanding of bodylanguage and positive reinforcement for primaryaged learners. Secondary aged learners worktowards transferrable work related skills such asteam work, self-motivation, communication andworking to a deadline.

We use the garden to harvest ‘home’ growningredients to cook in our small kitchen area duringthe summer/ autumn months, take park in seasonalactivities at various times of year and during theSpring we work to maintain and tend to the producein our gardens and allow our learners the chance tosee the new chicks and ducklings hatching. It is beingincreasingly recognised that working with the landand having the opportunity to nurture plants fromseed has a hugely positive impact on both physicaland mental health, and we can certainly agree thatall our learners benefit greatly from their time in the

garden, with calmness and reflection being key tosuccess.

Similarly, working with the ex-racehorses allows thelearners the opportunity to be up close to half atonne of animal and remaining calm and focused is apriority. Our 20 HorsePower encompass a range ofages and sizes, having all been assessed for theirsuitability to work with our learners, but still allowingtheir individual personalities to shine through. From28 year old Seek the Faith who will happily stand forhours whilst being groomed and pampered throughto 14 year old Prince Villevert, one of our tallestresidents standing at 17.2hh and a gentle giant toboot, learners will often form a unique bond with ahorse through their shared experiences, and willwant to work with them each week, building ontheir confidence and resilience as the weeks pass.

Further to the range ofanimals and the gardenareas, we are fortunateto have an area ofwoodland which isaccessible for thelearners to explore. Thispart of the programmeallows the learners tobecome familiar withsome of the native

British wildlife such as badgers, foxes and deer bysearching for, identifying and following their tracks,discovering their homes and habitats, and setting upwildlife cameras to capture some nocturnal footage.Many of the learners that join us here at Greatwoodhave often not had the chance to immersethemselves in such an environment and beingamongst the trees, hearing very little noise andbreathing in the fresh air can have an almostmedicinal effect on them.

Greatwoods uniqueHorsePower programme isdesigned to promote thelearners positive attributesand help them discover theirstrengths and skills when theyare struggling in a classroomenvironment. We continue to

go from strength to strength in this area, withreferrals from various agencies on the increase andthe feedback from all involved is positive.

Viera and Bill the goat

Devonte and Marmitethe chicken

Adam and Prince Villevert

Woodland walk

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It has been another busy year in the Greatwoodgarden, with the removal of the old rotten raisedbeds and the plans for the new plot which includenew raised beds and the renovation of the outdoorclassroom to allow for use all year round. Byexpanding this area of our programme we will beable to increase inclusivity with raised beds ofvarying heights and widths, which will also allow usto increase the range of produce we can growthroughout the year.

This year also saw us achieve our Level Three in theRHS School Gardening Awards, for which theevidence required was a mini project in the gardenrelating to healthy eating. This allowed our learnersfrom Uplands School and Uplands Educational Trustto focus on growing beetroot for some healthybeetroot salads and some not so healthy, but verydelicious, chocolate beetroot brownies. Aftersubmitting the evidence and awaiting the feedback,we were pleased to be the recipients of a RocketGardens voucher worth £150 for a series of threeboxes brimming with seasonal vegetable and fruitplug plants that will be delivered throughout theacademic year.

We have also joined the ‘The Bee Roadzz’ in theirmission to increase habitats for pollinators, initiallybetween Pewsey and Marlborough but nowspreading nationwide. It is now widely agreed thathoney bees will travel up to 7 miles from their hivesto forage for food if necessary and, coincidently,Pewsey and Marlborough are 7 miles apart. As acollaborative project, ‘The Bee Roadzz’ aims to linkcommunities with suitable habitats for nesting andforage for all pollinators that will be available

between February and November. We recentlywelcomed some of the group members toGreatwood to get some advice on how and wherewe can help and they left us with plenty of excellentideas that will include the introduction of morenative wildflowers, a good tidy-up of the pond/boggarden area and a survey of the existing forage. Weare all looking forward to the official launch in theSpring of 2018.

A collaboration with ‘The Bee Roadzz’will encourage pollinators

Looking to the future, in addition to the new raisedbeds and pathways, further developments in thegarden include the installation of an automatedwatering system in the polytunnel and additionalstaging for increased plant production. We wouldalso like to create areas for cut flowers and improvethe range of plants within our sensory garden withthe addition of brightly coloured, long-lastingblooms and highly scented climbers. If you think youwould be able to help us with any seed or bulbdonations please contact Alex from the EducationTeam on [email protected] or sendany packets directly to the office address. All yoursupport is greatly appreciated and goes a long wayto ensuring our learners have a fulfilling and fun timewith us here each week.

Finally, we would like to extend our heart-feltgratitude to The ACT Foundation and The PercyBilton Charity for their very generous donationstowards the garden renovations – the money will goa long way towards the purchase of new sleepersfor the raised beds.

in the Garden

RHS Level 3 School Gardening Award

The Uplands beetroot harvest

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Your Career Calling programme starting in September 2018Our new programme offer exciting opportunities to work towards a career in the animal and/or equinesectors. A Level 1 vocational qualification in Land Based Studies, Functional skills in Maths and English,Work Experience and enrichment activities all make up our new ‘Your Carer Calling’ programme foranyone over the age of 16. We have limited places to offer but the places are all free of charge.

The main aim of the programme is to develop the animal and equine care skills of the individuals on theprogramme. This will include the opportunity to care for horses, ponies, donkeys, goats, chickens, ducks,geese, dogs and bearded dragons to name but a few. Opportunities to work in the Greatwood gardento grow treats for the animals will be a chance to relax in the peaceful surroundings in summer months.

Classroom and outdoor activities will make up thestructure of this qualification.

Using contextualised functional maths skills tocalculate feed quantities for animals, stable areas andhow much weight jockeys would carry on specifichorses. The same with contextualised English skills toread animal care instructions, the Racing Post, writedaily diaries for animals and speaking to a small groupabout the animals in their care.

Work experience opportunities here at Greatwood,local racecourses or other animalrelated organisations will promotework related skills and build strongindustry links to enhance employmentopportunities after the programme.

Enrichment opportunities such asfundraising for the charity, assisting inthe local community or helping thosein need will develop a sense ofempathy and self-worth.

There are a wealth of employmentopportunities working with horsesand animals in Wiltshire andsurrounding counties and the studyprogramme will develop the skillsneeded to start a career in one ofthese sectors.


We would like to thank Aqueos for their generoussponsorship. Their wonderful anti-bacterial & anti-fungal shampoo is integral to our winter routine everyyear. Every horse at Greatwood comes in from their

paddock and has a lovely warm shower and shampoo before being dried, rugged and stabled in theirdeep straw beds for the winter.

For more details of all their animal products please visit: http://www.aqueos.co.uk/

Helen and Milly tail washing

THANK YOU TO OUR VOLUNTEER GROUPSWe owe a HUGE thank you to the record number of Corporate Social Responsibility volunteers whohave come to Greatwood from a selection of large companies, a staggering 130 volunteers came toGreatwood throughout 2017. The team at Greatwood is small so when a large group of willing handsarrive for a day, armed with enthusiasm and willingness to carry out a large task around the farm, thesaying many hands make light work certainly comes into its own.

All the groups have a quick cup of coffee and biscuits, the obligatory health and safety talk and a chatabout what goes on at Greatwood. Then it is straight to work, they are advised to wear old, weatherproofclothes with suitable foot wear for these outdoor tasks many of which are messy. The jobs have rangedfrom white washing walls, painting the yard in ourcorporate purple, furniture painting, creosealingfences, bedding up boxes, assisting with mucking outand a variety of tasks in the garden.

We are absolutely delighted to have welcomed thefollowing groups to Greatwood, who all transformedtheir allocated areas in one day with immenseenergy, hard work and determination.

Once again, a sincere THANK YOU from all atGreatwood.

Milly and Izzy bath Seek The Faith

Nationwide, Swindon Network Rail, Swindon Octopus, London

Arval, Swindon

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The GREAT Walk of Fame Your chance to create a lasting memory at Greatwood Charity

A pathway through our beautiful orchard down to the

sensory garden has now been created to make all year round

access easier. We would like to thank everybody who has

already bought a paver for The Great Walk of Fame, which

have now been laid. Pavers can be added to the path at any

time, so if you would still like a permanent memento of your

support of Greatwood please complete a form and return it

back to us.

How it works . . .• Order your paver and tell us the name

and tribute you would like engraved.

• Once we receive your order by phone

or email we will send you a proof.

• As soon as your paver has been laid

we will write to you so you can come

and see your lasting tribute.

OPTION 1: A Greatwood paver engraved in black lettering, 210 x 105 x 50mm, and carries 2 lines

of up to 16 characters per line including spaces (32 characters in total) COST: £20 per paver.

OPTION 2: A large Greatwood paver engraved in black lettering, 210 x 210 x 50mm, and carries 4

lines of up to 16 characters per line including spaces (64 characters in total) COST: £35 per paver.

OPTION 1:

OPTION 2:

I enclose a cheque/postal order for £ _______________

I would like to pay an amount of £ _____________ by credit or debit card

Card Number

Valid from (MM/YY) ______/_____ Expiry Date (MM/YY) ______/_____ Security Code: _______

Title: _______ First Name(s) _____________________________ Surname: ___________________________

Address: _________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________ Postcode: _______________________

Tel. No: ________________________________________ Email: ___________________________________GIFTAID IT: - Gift Aid - a donation is worth more with Gift Aid(Please tick if applicable) You must pay an amount of Income Tax and / or Capital Gains Tax for this tax year at least equal to the tax that the

Charity will claim from HM Revnue & Customs on your Gift Aid donation. Please notify the Charity if you change your name or home address. Taxclaimed by the charity. The Charity will claim 25p of tax on every £1 you give between April 2008 and 5th April 2011. This transitional relief for theCharity does not effect your personal tax position.

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Planning for Greatwood’s FutureOur vision is simple:

We would like to secure a long-term future for Greatwood by purchasing the farmwe currently lease, thereby ensuring that for generations to come, the charity cancontinue to rescue and rehabilitate vulnerable ex-racehorses as well as educatingchildren and young people with additional educational needs.

One way in which you can help secure Greatwood’s vision is by leaving us a gift inyour Will and so becoming an integral part of Greatwood’s future.

DID YOU KNOW?• Greatwood has helped over 1,500 horses since 1993• Since 2006 Greatwood has helped over 3,500 young people • Greatwood was the first charity to use ex-racehorses to educate young people• Greatwood is the only ex-racehorse charity that does NOT have criteria for entry – we will

never turn away a horse at risk; in danger; or who is in fear of neglect or suffering• It costs Greatwood £4,318 to care for each horse; a total of £215,903 each year• It costs Greatwood £136 per student per day to deliver our educational programmes, a total of

£313,000 each year• For every £1 Greatwood spent on fundraising we raised £4.24

We know that creating a Will is a very private affair and that you will want to put your loved onesfirst but IMAGINE the difference a gift would make in securing Greatwood’s future. If the time isever right for you to remember us in your Will, we’re here to help. Every gift, no matter the size,means a great deal to us and to those that we help.

One of Greatwood’sstudents withSunshine Boy

James Paget, one of Greatwood’s NEETstudents who completed the Get Goingprogramme, subsequently went onto to theNorthern Racing College and is now pursuing acareer within the racing industry.

Our promises to you:• We will treat you fairly when giving you theopportunity to leave a legacy – we won’t intrude onyour privacy by telephoning you unless you requestthat method of contact.• We will never ask you the size or type of legacy ifyou decide to support our work this way – becauseevery gift makes a difference.• We absolutely recognise your family and friendscome first in your Will.• We understand that circumstances change andthere may be a time where you need to takeGreatwood out of your Will.• We promise to use your gift wisely

If you need any further support on this subjectplease contact Greatwood’s Co-Founder,

Helen Yeadon on: 01672 514535 [email protected]

Name:Address:

Postcode:Signature:

Expiry date:Card no:

CSC no:SECURITY CODE

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Newsletter kindly sponsored by Elite Racing Club A Good ... · 2017 has been a kind year to the horses. The summer was perfect, not too hot, not too wet and not too many flies. The