Welcome to the Unicorn Centre
"To improve the general health and well-being of people with disabilities through the medium of horses"
The Unicorn Centre, a registered charity, is a purpose built riding for the disabled facility which offers riding therapy and learning and training opportunities for over 200 disabled adults and children from the Tees Valley area each week. Opened in 1998, the Centre has become an established part of the local community, with a strong contingent of about 100 local volunteers who assist with riding lessons each week.
View our video about the Unicorn Centre and what it can offer here: Unicorn Centre Video
Our aim is to provide riding for people with disabilities in an inclusive, safe and supportive environment that will allow each individual to achieve their full potential. To provide this service we depend on a committed group of staff and volunteers and input from families and personal assistants.With limited funding from user fees, we rely entirely on fundraising and donations to subsidise the cost of lessons. In addition we depend on contributions by able-bodied individuals and clubs also making use of our facilities.
The Centre works across the spectrum of disabilities, age range, social status and environments. Our focus is to ensure that each individual is given the chance to derive a direct therapeutic benefit and the opportunity to achieve their full potential; whether that be sitting with support astride a pony and riding down one side of the arena or competing at Paralympic dressage level.
In 2015 The Unicorn Centre was accredited with the nationally recognised quality mark for organisations which provide support to individuals to make learning and work more accessible – the Matrix Standard. With 489 RDA groups nationally, the Centre is the first RDA Group ever to have achieved this award, and is enormously proud of this record. In 2018 it was voted by the public as British Dressage Northern Small Venue of the Year. And in 2019, the Centre became the first accredited Dementia Friendly riding establishment and RDA group in the country. A dementia-friendly community is a city, town or village where people with dementia are understood, respected and supported and confident they can contribute to community life.
The Unicorn Centre is a member group of the national Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA), (although is autonomous in its own right as a separate, independent, registered charity) and as such shares three principal objectives:
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Developing and supporting opportunities for therapy
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Developing and supporting opportunities for achievement
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Enabling physical activity and enjoyment
The Unicorn Centre gives all its riders the opportunity to reach therapeutic goals and personal ambitions, to develop life skills and often to combat social isolation. Riders are also encouraged to develop a caring attitude and to connect with our wonderful and specially trained horses and ponies, without whom the Centre could not deliver its valuable service.
The Unicorn Centre has six core values, which underpin all our activities:
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To provide a high quality service in all it does
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To value the input of people at all levels and to be positive about their achievements – whether as a rider, volunteer, learner or staff member
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To emphasise the importance of training and achievement for all riders, volunteers, learners and staff members
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To value the input of participants in deciding its future
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To be accessible to all – whether as a rider, learner or as a volunteer
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To be professionally run, communicating openly at all levels and to be financially transparent
Riding for the Disabled Association
The Unicorn Centre works closely with the Riding for the Disabled Association, the national charity for riding and driving for the disabled, and physiotherapy on horseback. To find out more about RDA, please click on this link:
www.rda.org.uk
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE
Although the Government has lifted Covid restrictions, we have decided to continue with our existing stringent infection controls to protect our vulnerable users.
We are now welcoming riders back into the Centre, and are working hard to increase our capacity to deliver more lessons. Volunteers are a vital part of activities at the Unicorn Centre, and we would appreciate enquiries from anyone who would like to become part of our very special Team Unicorn. Thank you.
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