Park Lane Stables has received a royal invitation following its successful crowdfunding campaign to raise £1m and save its home.
Mother and daughter Caitlin and Bess Limmer wrote to The Queen during the campaign and received a letter from the palace and an invitation in response.
A photo posted by on
Bess told BBC Breakfast that they had asked centre manager Natalie O’Rourke at the start of the campaign if there was anything they could do to help.
Natalie suggested they could write to some famous people, and so they contacted Her Majesty.
“We didn’t get many responses, but we did from The Queen,” she said.
Crown Equerry Colonel Toby Browne wrote to the stables, inviting 12 young people to visit the Royal Mews, which is home to The Queen’s horses, when pandemic restrictions allow.
The London-based Riding for the Disabled Association and Pony Club centre started a crowdfunder to buy its Teddington base as the landlord had decided to sell.
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It reached its target on 18 February, thanks to donations from thousands of individuals.
“They do all the very unglamorous jobs, it’s a fairytale”“They do all the very unglamorous jobs, it’s a fairytale”Park Lane stables manager Natalie tells #BBCBreakfast it’s the ‘icing on the cake’ that young volunteers have been invited to Buckingham Palace after reaching their fundraising target.https://t.co/6NHte44xSypic.twitter.com/z87lzh3JhwPark Lane stables manager Natalie tells #BBCBreakfast it’s the ‘icing on the cake’ that young volunteers have been invited to Buckingham Palace after reaching their fundraising target.https://t.co/6NHte44xSypic.twitter.com/z87lzh3Jhw— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) February 25, 2021— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) February 25, 2021
Natalie said she “nearly fainted” when they received the reply from The Queen.
“We are totally blown away by everything that’s happened, but that’s just the icing on the cake,” she said.
“I’m just so happy for the young people — what an amazing thing for them. They put all the effort in here, they muck out, they do all the unglamorous jobs, and now they’ve been invited to the palace. It’s a fairytale.”
She added: “There’s an army of young people and older people that make the magic happen here at the stables and in RDA all over the country, so it’s just amazing that Her Majesty has recognised their role because without them, this just would not happen.”
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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.
