£240,000 boost for inner city stables

An inner city stables is to be given £240,000 of Sport England funding.

Ebony Horse Club (EHC), a community equestrian centre in Brixton, London, will receive £80,000 a year over three years.

The funding means the club can offer activities in addition to its core services, which are used by 400 children and young people a year.

The club, established in 1996, uses horses to improve the education, life skills and aspirations of young people from disadvantaged south London communities.

In August, H&H reported on a collaboration between EHC and the Pony Racing Authority to give children a chance to race-ride.

Based next to Loughborough Junction, the centre’s home is within the top 10% most deprived areas in England and Wales.

The club’s “Raising our Games” project focuses on youngsters aged 14 and over who struggle to frequently take part in sport.

The centre plans to introduce other sports that are not normally found in schools or leisure centres.

“We see daily how horse riding increases confidence and self-esteem and with this funding we will be able to reach out to more young people by offering a range of activities,” said Ebony’s Davinia Robinson.

Letty Porter, also from the charity, told H&H they have not yet finalised what the activities will be, but they are intending to stick to the theme of non-traditional sports.

“Bike polo seems to be a very popular option so far,” she added.

“Raising our Games” was launched in the summer holidays when a mobile climbing wall was installed by the club in Wyck Gardens, next to the Loughborough Estate.

In total, 137 young people climbed over 4,000 times.

The project is one of more than 40 to secure a share of the £8.2m National Lottery funding from Sport England.

Sport England’s director of community sport, Mike Diaper, said it is great to be working with “innovative projects” like EHC.

“Given the overwhelming benefits of being active, it’s important that age, gender, or income never prevent anyone from taking part,” he said.

For more information visit: www.ebonyhorseclub.org

Lucy Elder

H&H senior news writer

Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.