Member Article

Great neigh-bours lend a helping hand!

Local housebuilder donates free home improvements to horse-riding stables for the disabled in Leeds.

Five-star housebuilder, Barratt Homes Yorkshire West, recently helped Leeds-based Middleton Park Equestrian Centre, a Riding for the Disabled specialist, with some free home improvements as part of the company’s ‘donate a day’ volunteering scheme.

Commercial Director Martin Purdy and members of his team donated a day of their time to help the staff at the riding centre, which is in between the housebuilder’s St Oswald’s View development in Methley and St Andrew’s View development in Morley. The team spruced up the arena, paddocks and stables, to provide the best experience for visitors, many of whom have disabilities.

The activity comes after Barratt Homes donated £500 to the centre in the spring, to help with the upkeep of the horses. As a mark of the housebuilder’s ongoing commitment to the communities in which it builds, it wanted to do something to help the stables further as they rely heavily on donations and volunteers.

Throughout the day, the Barratt team got their hands dirty carrying out maintenance of the facilities, giving the fencing a new lick of paint and revamping the jumps. They also spent some time with the four-legged residents, getting particularly attached to piebald horse Quarry, who was a firm favourite at the housebuilder’s first visit earlier this year.

Martin Purdy, Commercial Director at Barratt Developments Yorkshire West, said: “We absolutely loved visiting Middleton Park Equestrian Centre earlier this year and were so impressed by the work they do. After hearing about the fantastic opportunities they provide to people with disabilities during our first visit, the team and I were in no doubt that we wanted to donate a day to the stables to help them with any tasks they needed. We thoroughly enjoyed our day and the team is really proud to have been able to help such a great facility in Leeds. We’re ready to gallop onto our next team activity now!”

Anna Burke, Centre Manager at Middleton Park Equestrian Centre stated: “We were delighted to welcome the Barratt team back to the centre, and pleased they were keen to muck in and help with some home improvements, after all they are the experts! We’re thrilled with the hard work from the Martin’s team and grateful for Barratt’s support. Quarry absolutely loved all the attention so I think they have a fan there!”

Middleton Park Equestrian Centre’s aim is to introduce and provide a fun, sporting activity, and the potential of career opportunities to local people, on behalf of the Riding for the Disabled Association. The centre also provides Carriage Driving sessions for severely disabled clients, such as wheelchair users, who find it difficult to access any other services. The equestrian facility relies on donations from local businesses and the community in order to fund the upkeep of the facilities and continue its fantastic work.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Richard Savage .