Community horse project in Gowerton gets Royal visit
Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal ended her tour of Swansea Bay with a visit to Gwalia’s Community Horse and Pony Scheme (CHAPS) in Gowerton.
The Princess Royal discovered how the CHAPS team use their passion for horses, to help those in need of support.
Her Royal Highness is linked to a number of animal and equine charities including Animal Health Trust, the Horse Trust and World Horse Welfare.
During the visit to CHAPS she chatted with people who both work at and use the lottery-funded project, which promotes animal welfare, engages urban horse owners and provides equine and rural skills training for people with a wide range of support needs.
She also spent time with some of the horses that the CHAPS Project has rescued and rehabilitated since its launch two years ago.
Katie Double, CHAPS Project Manager, was delighted to host The Princess. “It was an absolute honour to meet Her Royal Highness today and we’re really grateful for her interest in what we do. We had various activities going on at the scheme so there was plenty to see and lots of people to meet. Our funders at the Big Lottery were able to join us as well as partners like Swansea Council, Cotts Equine and some representatives from the local schools.”
“Urban horse ownership is an issue affecting some of the communities in which Gwalia works”, said Gwalia Chief Executive Michael Williams.
Katie Double, CHAPS Project Manager, was delighted to host The Princess. “It was an absolute honour to meet Her Royal Highness today and we’re really grateful for her interest in what we do. We had various activities going on at the scheme so there was plenty to see and lots of people to meet. Our funders at the Big Lottery were able to join us as well as partners like Swansea Council, Cotts Equine and some representatives from the local schools.”
“Urban horse ownership is an issue affecting some of the communities in which Gwalia works”, said Gwalia Chief Executive Michael Williams.
“CHAPS has made fantastic progress in engaging these communities and improving the lives of horses and their owners. The calming environment here and the routine of caring for these noble animals have proven transformative for people with a range of support needs. Staff and volunteers should feel justifiably proud today that their hard work has been recognised by Her Royal Highness.”
Big Lottery Fund Wales Committee Member Gaynor Richards, who attended the visit, was delighted The Princess was able to learn more about the project funded through its Big Innovation programme.
She said: “CHAPS is tackling a variety of issues in an innovative way and it’s great that our funding is helping a project embrace these new ways of working. The Royal visit has now provided a further boost to their efforts.”
· CHAPS is a Community Horse and Pony Scheme operated by Gwalia and based in Gowerton. In December 2015 it won the Service Innovation category at the Cymorth Cymru Promoting Independence Awards.
· Grŵp Gwalia is a leading provider of housing, care and support services in south and mid Wales. The company manages more than 10,300 units of accommodation and more than 2,700 units of care.
· The Big Lottery Fund supports the aspirations of people who want to make life better for their communities across the UK. We are responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised by the National Lottery and invest over £650 million a year in projects big and small in health, education, environment and charitable purposes.
· Since June 2004 we have awarded over £6.5billion to projects that make a difference to people and communities in need, from early years intervention to commemorative travel funding for World War Two veterans.
· Since the National Lottery began in 1994, £34 billion has been raised and more than 450,000 grants awarded.
Big Lottery Fund Wales Committee Member Gaynor Richards, who attended the visit, was delighted The Princess was able to learn more about the project funded through its Big Innovation programme.
She said: “CHAPS is tackling a variety of issues in an innovative way and it’s great that our funding is helping a project embrace these new ways of working. The Royal visit has now provided a further boost to their efforts.”
· CHAPS is a Community Horse and Pony Scheme operated by Gwalia and based in Gowerton. In December 2015 it won the Service Innovation category at the Cymorth Cymru Promoting Independence Awards.
· Grŵp Gwalia is a leading provider of housing, care and support services in south and mid Wales. The company manages more than 10,300 units of accommodation and more than 2,700 units of care.
· The Big Lottery Fund supports the aspirations of people who want to make life better for their communities across the UK. We are responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised by the National Lottery and invest over £650 million a year in projects big and small in health, education, environment and charitable purposes.
· Since June 2004 we have awarded over £6.5billion to projects that make a difference to people and communities in need, from early years intervention to commemorative travel funding for World War Two veterans.
· Since the National Lottery began in 1994, £34 billion has been raised and more than 450,000 grants awarded.
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