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Your StoriesYou are in: Kent > People > Your Stories > Postling gallop ![]() Frank Hobbs Postling gallopFrank Hobbs was the organiser of the annual Postling horse ride for the first 25 years. He tells us what it means to the village. ![]() In the year of the Queen's silver jubilee (1977 for those of us who can't remember that far back) the residents of Postling, a tiny village near Folkestone, decided that they needed a village hall. Local farmer, Frank Hobbs, came up with the idea (OK, he borrowed it from Wye) to set up a course round the village and invite sponsored riders and their horses to ride around the local countryside.
By 1982, the village had raised enough money to pay for its hall, but the ride was such a success that they decided to continue, and now raise money for village projects and local charities. Apart from 2001, when foot and mouth disease restricted the movement of livestock, the event has been run every year, and has raised over £120,000. The photosTake a look at the gallery of photos from this year's horse ride around Postling. ![]() Building fences as Postling This isn't a race, as such, the winner is the rider who raises the most money, and isn't necessarily the fastest on the day. This year the village hoped to raise about £7,000. Some of the proceeds of the race will help pay for the village hall extension and the insurance of the church, the rest going to charity. On a sunny Sunday in September, unusual for the summer of 2008, over 300 horses and riders turned up for the annual ride. Chris Reynolds, Chairman of the Village Hall Committee said, "It's a focal part of the village calendar, it's a common effort and people very much look forward to it." All the villagers seem to get involved, building the fences, manning the jumps and road crossings, even though very few of them have any interested in horses. last updated: 16/09/2008 at 10:55 SEE ALSOYou are in: Kent > People > Your Stories > Postling gallop |
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