2008 - OUR TENTH ANNIVERSARY

It's hard to believe that the Unicorn Centre is 10 years old this year! We started riding lessons in April 1998 with an official opening by HRH The Princess Royal in November 1998. What a cold but memorable day that was! We will be celebrating this major achievement in a variety of ways throughout the year, so keep an eye on this page for updates. ROYAL VISIT As many of you will have seen in the press recently, HRH The Princess Royal visited the Centre on Tuesday 8 April to help us celebrate our 10th Anniversary. Please see the Press Release on our Press Releases page. Her Royal Highness spent nearly two hours at the Centre meeting riders, volunteers, students and staff as well as watching riding displays, unveiling our new 10th birthday gate, cutting the birthday cake and inspecting the beautiful art projects. The Princess also awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award to Susan Wilcox who has been a rider with RDA for 31 years and is a dedicated volunteer at the Centre. It will be a day we will remember for many years to come, and we have commemorative photos (courtesy of Dawn McNamara) and a video (courtesy of A&J Equine Photography) available to view and purchase. Please enquire at the Office. TEN BURSARY To commemorate Anniversary the Trustees have decided to set up a Bursary called “Ten” to provide support for some of our disabled and disadvantaged riders. The aim of the bursary is to help them achieve their full potential in riding therapy or the sport of horse riding with the emphasis on inclusion with able bodied riders. This may take the form of sponsorship for riding tuition, travel subsistence, riding holidays, equipment or clothing. A target of £10,000 has been set to enable the fund to be established and continue for the foreseeable future, and we have written to many local companies in the area to ask them to make a donation. Will you spread the word for us too please? Donations can be sent to the Unicorn Centre. Cheques should be made payable to RDA Centre in Cleveland Ltd. Thank you. EVENTS We will also be organising a variety of events throughout the year to commemorate our anniversary, heighten our profile further, and of course, to raise funds for the Centre. Ideas are in the planning stage, but we will be holding a major raffle (we are looking for prizes please).