Trustees of a Toxteth community riding school will meet with a local councillor on Friday to seek support in preventing its closure.
Park Palace Ponies, which offers riding lessons for young people who would otherwise never get the opportunity, is running out of money and seeking help to keep its doors open.
Pamela Allen, chair of the trustees, called on local businesses to donate or raise awareness of the charity around the city.
She said: “We are so grateful to our local community, Facebook followers and supporters who’ve helped us with donations. What we really need to do is raise awareness and spread awareness of what we do. The people in power need to help us, seek out grants, and find community funding. Our local council are really helpful.”
Fellow trustee Mary Garner will meet Steve Munby, the independent councillor for Dingle, on Friday to talk about the future of the riding school.
Ms Allen added: “The Palace Ponies do some great sponsor a pony schemes or people are able to sponsor a pony through pony club. It’s important that we’re getting to those kids that wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity. If anyone who has a local business or would to give a bit back or just help us, we can put the money where it’s needed and get to those kids who will really value and appreciate it”.
John Finnigan, CEO of Liverpool Homeless Football Club, lives locally and is passionate about saving the ponies. He was previously involved in the campaign to save The Florrie, a community centre also in Toxteth that has itself had financial problems in the past.
He said: “The community had saved The Florrie, so we can save Park Palace Ponies”.
Mr Finnigan added: “The community can do a a lot to support the ponies by coming along to events like this, donating hay bales. We can’t lose this resource it’s a vital for the community and I think the council should come down and see how many young people use it for free, who never get the opportunity to ride a pony. I think it’s important that they get behind it and let’s save this fantastic space, the ponies, the volunteers for the people in the community.”
Park Palace Ponies began life as a 12 month community pilot scheme in 2016, to encourage young people to try a sport not usually accessible in an urban environment.
It has bought back to life the disused Palace theatre and surrounding abandoned green space.
The initial project was funded by the British Equestrian Foundation, and after the success of the pilot scheme permanent planning approval was given.
Now, this much loved community project is struggling financially with the rising costs of all bills, horse feed and tack.
There are seven ponies at the Palace, providing riding lessons, and socialisation for children as young as two.
The trustees, volunteers and community are pulling together to raise awareness and funds for the ponies to ensure that that children can continue to learn to ride a horse in the city.
Ms Allen said: “You wouldn’t normally see ponies in the inner city, so it’s quite unusual. It brightens people’s day when they see them out in the community. Kids come to their windows, when they see the ponies coming back from the allotment. People come out of their homes and wave. There’s so much love for the ponies because it’s so unusual.”
A fundraising dog show, which took place earlier this month, is just one of the events that the trustees, staff and volunteers have planned this year. Trustee Mary Garner said: “We have big plans”.
The community turned out for the dog show people of all ages, families and children, which is a positive sign for the charity.
On Tuesday, Ms Garner was invited to the Grand National Weigh in lunch at St George’s Hall. The lunch is a highlight of race week and drew racing enthusiasts, civic leaders and special guests.
The ponies and their riders left Mill Street and walked through the streets of Liverpool to the lunch. The walk through the heart of Liverpool celebrates the connection the city has to horse racing and brings together sport, community and international culture in the Chinese new year of the fire horse.
