Disability riding centre 'determined' not to close
Unicorn Riding CentreA horse-riding centre for people with disabilities and additional needs says it is "determined" not to close despite facing increasing costs.
Unicorn Riding Centre, in Middlesbrough, announced it was under threat last year with its previous board of trustees saying it was facing "growing financial pressures".
The centre has since appointed a new board of voluntary trustees and some successful fundraising events and sponsorships meant it was "still open, up and running" and "doing better".
But director and trustee Kate Wythe said the centre was "still very much in need".
Visitors to the centre, which opened in 1998, learn to ride horses or spend time grooming them as a calming experience.
In October, the centre announced it would have to close but, a month later, secured six months' short-term funding from the Riding for the Disabled Association.
"We have to raise more money all the time, just to keep on covering our basic costs," Wythe said.
"But we are determined to make sure the centre doesn't close."
Unicorn Riding CentreWythe said there had been a "major reset" but the centre needed more sponsorships and fundraising.
It was fighting "higher food and energy prices so we have to raise more money all the time", she said.
The centre's facilities - such as its riding arena - were also being hired out to generate extra cash, she added.
The centre was important to riders and volunteers, she said, and also provided vital "downtime" during classes for parents and carers who could meet other people in similar situations.
"The therapeutic benefits of getting on a horse, being around a horse, and the joy that it brings, it's priceless," she said.
"You can't put a value on the smile on somebody's face."
