Rare rocking horse to be restored for charity

A 100-year-old rocking horse that provided a woman with a "complete escape" as a child is to be restored and sold for charity.

Samantha Cree, from Mountsorrel in Leicestershire, offered the former toy to a local repair group to see if it could be repurposed for a new generation of children.

However, the group realised the rocking horse was a rare item, and that amateur repairs could damage it.

The toy was then dated to about 1920 to 1930 by Peter Rix, a rocking horse restorer from Derbyshire, who estimated it could fetch about £2,000.

He has offered to carry out the restoration for free, and the money made from its sale will be donated to Leicestershire hospice charity Loros.

Rix said "Neddy", as he is called by the Cree family, was a vintage "Sportiboy" model rocking horse manufactured by the defunct British toy company Lines Bros.

The rocking horse will be repainted, have its saddle replaced and hair retacked as part of the restoration, which is estimated to take a couple of months.

Rix said: "We are creating some new memories for people like those memories that Sam had before with this horse.

"And hopefully we're going to create new memories for the next 100 years for the next riders on his journey, and also let's make some more money for Loros as we go.

"His overall condition for a 100-year-old horse is pretty good."

Samantha said she used to ride the horse with her sister when she was a child and described it as "a source of complete enjoyment and escape".

"We'd sit there for hours just rocking and singing like Victorian children," she said.

Her husband, Paddy Cree, added the couple did not have room in the house for it any more.

"It would have just collected dust, so if it brings some joy to somebody and helps with Loros then that's great," he said.

"They do such a great job around the county."

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