…25 years ago I turned up on the doorstep of Scropton RDA to find out about the possibility of riding for my then 6 year old son with additional needs. I’d never been near a horse before, knew nothing about riding and had very little idea what to expect. However right from the start my son responded really positively to the horses and activities and before long visiting the Scropton centre became the highlight of his week…
“We all got drawn into the friendly welcoming atmosphere and before long my elder son and I became involved as volunteers. For me this started with helping at fundraising events and in the coffee bar, but as time me went on I found myself out on the yard and helping alongside the horses and participants as well. Gradually I got more involved in the life of the centre as both a parent and a volunteer, and I was eventually asked if I would like to become a trustee. RDA was proving hugely beneficial to my son and there was a real knock on positive benefit to our whole family so I was keen to support the centre.
Getting involved as a trustee brought a whole new dimension to my volunteering. I felt like I could make a really significant contribution to the running of the centre, bringing together management and admin skills from my own career combined with my perspective as the parent of a participant at the centre. Being a trustee has been rewarding, challenging, inspiring and very hard work at times, but there’s always been the motivation of being able to make a very real difference to all the participants and families who come to our centre.
As a trustee I take part in monthly management meetings where we take an overview of all aspects of Scropton RDA, making strategic plans & decisions to ensure we meet our charitable objectives as well as running the charity in an effective way. As Scropton is a full time RDA centre with employees, its like running a small business so meetings cover management, finances, governance, compliance and more. I have a particular interest in the centre’s operations, admin & IT systems so I also spend time between meetings helping with a wide variety of aspects of how we operate. I also take a lead in fund raising and grant applications. Insurance also falls into my area and as a group we really appreciate the insurance support provided by Howden Group, who are insurance broker for Riding for the Disabled. The information on their website provides clear and helpful guidance and whenever we’ve contacted them with any queries they’ve provided prompt and comprehensive answers. Its great to have such reliable support. There’s always a different challenge around the corner and no two weeks as a trustee are ever the same!
If anyone had told me 25+ years ago that my life would be transformed by horses I’d never have believed them, but getting involved in RDA both as the parent of a participant and as a volunteer trustees been an amazing experience and I’ve never looked back!”
Glynis Dalley
