APPEAL FROM OUR CHAIRMAN OF TRUSTEES

We have 18 horses to feed and look after, the Unicorn Centre to maintain, staff to support and students to support remotely.

How have we survived? We have survived by a combination of hard work by our senior team (Claire, Christie, Kim and Katie) to whom we owe a huge thank you.

The generosity of our supporters through our Virgin Money Feed and Feet appeal has raised over £9000 but we still need you to keep giving, as it won’t last long. www.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/feedandfeet

We’ve been humbled and delighted by the imagination and dedication of supporters who have done sponsored events such as head shaves, 10k run by our patron Nicola Wilson, 2.6 challenge, 110 K run and lots of other amazing things. We’ve also received donations of feed and hay, face visors and sanitiser.

We have accessed both national and regional business support schemes such as Middlesbrough Council Covid Small grants scheme, Sports Lottery funding, and the NFU and the Newcastle Building Society amongst others have made generous donations.

And in the background we have a very dedicated team of Trustees who work tirelessly to keep the Centre running.

MOVING Forward: Our participants, Supported Volunteers and learners are desperate to get back to the Unicorn Centre. Not being able to attend has a huge impact on their physical and emotional wellbeing.

We need to come back in a staged approach and plan it very carefully to ensure we create as safe an environment as possible for our participants, students, staff and volunteers.

Alongside preparing the building and getting the horses fit we will require the appropriate PPE for everyone’s safety and we thank Dr Michael Short and his Teesside University team for their generous donation of visors and Tees Valley Combined Authority for hand sanitisers.

 BUT we will need more.

We need masks, gloves, visors, signage, screens and sanitising products to enable us to return the Unicorn Centre to the caring and supportive place we all know and love. Any offers of help will be so welcome.

Thank you, Jackie Rubin, Chair of Trustees