Good Luck

Natalie Povey & Veronica Bower (and Tess!) are back in Hartpury for the International Competition on 16 to 18 July 2008. Good luck girls - we'll be thinking of you.

RDA National Championships at Hartpury 12 & 13 July 2008.

All our riders and vaulters had a very exciting weekend and thoroughly enjoyed competing at the Championships. Well done to everybody.

Congratulations to:

Rachel Williams - Dyffryn Ceiriog Group	2nd overall in her section & 1st Junior.
James Gregory - Hope Mountain Group	5th in the Countryside Challenge.
Pauline Pierce - Wrexham Group	3rd in the Kur
Bethan Yale-Helms - Wrexham Group	3rd in Grade 1a Dressage
Wrexham Group Vaulters Girls' team	1st
Wrexham Group Vaulters Tuesday team	3rd
Wrexham Group Vaulters Boys' team	5th
Dyffryn Ceiriog Group Vaulters	1st Newcomers Award

Musical Rides - Recorded on Video
Wrexham Wednesday morning	3rd overall & 1st Juniors
Wrexham Wednesday evening	Equal 4th
Wrexham Tuesday evening	Equal 4th

More results to follow for the Art & Craft section.

British Sign Language Course for Instructors & Volunteers.

In response to requests for customised training for sign language for use with our clients, this unique 10 - week course starts on Thursday 6 November 2008, and runs to Thursday 29 January 2009. It will be held at CSRC between 6.30 & 8.30 pm. The tutor is Barri Rawlins of Yale College, Wrexham.

Minimum of 10 people, maximum of 20, so please support this venture and sign up. To secure a place, a returnable deposit of £30 (based on 50% attendance) should be received in CSRC office by Friday 11 July. Cheques payable to CSRC please.

Catherine did it!!!

Catherine Duff, the daughter of our Founder Trustee Anne Sopwith, has completed her Ultimate Challenge by running the Ridgeway, 86 miles in 24 hours. Catherine started at 3 am on Saturday 28 June 2008 and completed the run before 3 am on the Sunday. We are all so proud of her; what an amazing achievement. To say 'Well done' seems so inadequate for what Catherine has achieved - but we're saying it anyway - WELL DONE CATHERINE, you are absolutely brilliant.

Catherine set out to raise £20,000 for CSRC. She was running the Ridgeway in memory of her father, Tom Sopwith, who would have been 86 on 28 June 2008. Tom was our first Treasurer and was the guiding hand behind the Centre’s finances until he retired in 2001.

Catherine is no stranger to extreme challenges as she ran 52 miles in South Africa to raise money to buy our horsebox in 2002.

This was Catherine’s Ultimate Challenge – yes, she has promised her family that she will hang up her running shoes after this!! – so please, please help Catherine achieve her Ultimate Challenge and her £20,000 Ultimate Goal. Any donations can be sent to CSRC - Thank you.

Catherine's Ridgeway Run - 86 miles in 24 hours!!!

Pictures of Catherine on her Ridgeway Run.

'Well done' to our very own Natalie Povey!

Nat, Fizz and Tess went to France last week, where Nat was representing Great Britain at an International Competition. We have just heard that Nat gained 2nd place in the 'warm up' competition and then a FIRST in the Individual and another FIRST in the Kur.

This is Nat's first competition abroad and we are all so proud of her - and FIZZ and Tess.

Watch this space for more pictures and news about Nat's brilliant results.

Nic Chambers.

Congratulations to Nic on gaining the highest score of the day at the North Wales Region RDA Dressage competition at CSRC on 18 June 2008. The photograph shows a delighted Nic with her shield.

Cantorion Colin Jones Choir.

We are so fortunate to have the choir appearing at this Riding Centre on 20 September 2008.

Tickets £10. Further information from our office.

A Change of Chairman for the Centre.

Lady Gladstone with Jill Walton.

Lady Gladstone, Lady G, Rosamund – whatever name you know her by – has never wavered in her enthusiasm and sheer hard work for the Centre ever since it was opened twenty-six years ago. For the last fifteen years she has been Chairman of the Trustees and under her guidance the Centre has grown in importance nationally and become the efficient, welcoming, business-like special riding establishment that we have today.

However, after such a long time in the chair, Lady Gladstone has decided to stand back and you now have me, Jill Walton, trying to follow in her footsteps. I’ve been a Trustee for twelve years and even now am still learning about the day-to-day running of the Centre. So much goes on quietly and capably under Tess’s management and I hope to be around more regularly now to get to know you all better.

We all owe sincere thanks to Rosamund for her dedication and commitment to CSRC, making it so special for all our riders, drivers, vaulters, staff, volunteers and Trustees – and she is still remaining on the board as President. We can’t let her go!

Jill Walton

BIG Lottery Support.

The Centre has been awarded a grant for the 'Learning for Life' vocational programme by BIG Lottery. Young people, with special needs, over the age of 16 who wish to develop skills that will help them throughout life will benefit. Many of these young people find that there is nothing for them to move onto after school. We hope that 'Learning for Life' will bridge that gap. Through learning basic horse care skills the students will develop improved responsibility, communication, self-confidence and literacy skills.

The BIG Lottery funding is a breakthrough for the course, as it will allow it to continue for another three years. The funding will be used to meet the costs of running the course and the tutors who lead it. However, the Centre cannot rest on its laurels, funds still have to be raised to ensure the continuation of riding, driving and vaulting sessions. Each time someone rides at the Centre £11 must be raised; there are 192 riders who come to use the Centre weekly, so fund raising can never stop.

If you are interested in the 'Learning for Life' project and think that it might help someone you know, then please contact Tess Chew at the Centre for more details.

Vocational courses - How about doing an NPTC or NVQ?

Some riders and volunteers have started doing these vocational courses in equine care. NPTC courses teach basic horse care and are practical based. They run over the holidays and are geared for riders.

NVQ courses are a little more advanced, but still centre around horse management. They can be done by riders or volunteers and are practical based. These can be slotted in to the normal routine in term time. Ask Tess if you are interested - or chat to Sharon, John or Cerys who are working on theirs currently. Kirsty and Natalie from Hope Mountain Group are also doing theirs. Kirsty has been riding with the group since she was four years old!

Our vocational students, as part of their course, organised a dressage fun day on March 14. Below are pictures of some of the competitors:


Bethan Yale-Helms	Denise Smith with supporter

Emily Morris	Helping to tack-up

Katie Jones & Rowena Bennett	Mathew Kidd on Dudley

Natalie Moore on Bud	Sarah McPhee on Rory

Chester Aid for the Homeless.

We are delighted that a group of volunteers from 'Chester Aid for the Homeless' won the 'Michael Whippmann Award for the contribution made by homeless people to their community'.

The group travelled to London to receive their award from MP Ian Wright (Minister for Homelessness).

Disabled Carriage Drivers Hope for New Opportunities.

If you require further information please contact Tessa Chew on 01352 770446.

Office Refurbishment.

The Centre Office re-opened on 18 February 2008 after refurbishment. Thanks to the incredible generosity of the Desk Centre, Birkenhead, we now have very smart new desks, chairs and filing cabinets.

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