Help support RDA stables through fundraising

Park Lane Stables Riding for the Disabled charity seeks help to keep their yard and continue supporting their community

Park Lane Stables Riding for the Disabled (RDA) is desperate to buy the yard from which it operates following its landlord advertising it for sale. The stables are a key part of the Teddington community and offers a whole host of benefits for hundreds of local children and adults. Being able to buy the stables will secure the charity’s future and position as a mainstay of the local community.

The charity needs to raise £1,000,000 by 24 February 2021 so they can keep the stables and continue their extensive support – with a huge waiting list of both adults and children with disabilities, there’s no debating that the demand for their services is enormous. In the event that the stables are successful with their acquisition, they’ll be owned by the registered charity and become part of the RDA national family. The cottage will become assisted living for those with additional needs, so they’ll be in the heart of the community and living with the horses.

The Crowdfunder page for the stables explains the need for them to stay at their current site and remain at a site that’s known to those who use it and is in as publicly accessible a position as possible. Therefore, it’s out of the question for the organisation to simply uproot and relocate to somewhere remote that’s more affordable but considerably less accessible. “We need to stay in our current home so our participants without sight can get to us on public transport. If we were tucked away in a different location those that need us most wouldn’t be able to reach us and would become more socially isolated,” says a spokesperson for the cause.

The riding school dates back to 1830, when it was home to Teddington Fire Station. Just 35 minutes from London Waterloo, the family-run stables welcome horse lovers from all over London and the home counties, offering a rare equine opportunity to urban communities.

The stables reached the nation with #tinyponyatyourwindow, which saw volunteers visit local people who were self-isolating with pony Annie’s Whizz during the first London lockdown. They visited a whopping 300 people in their homes, at schools, hospitals and care homes.

For more information, visit crowdfunder.co.uk/save-our-stables