Show centre gets £100,000 funding boost
Solihull Riding Club has invested in new facilities to make the West Midlands venue warmer and more welcoming for riders and spectators.
The centre was awarded a £100,000 Hoof Capital Funding grant through the British Equestrian Federation from Sport England for the project, which was match funded.
The building work, started last August will be finished early next month, in time for the grand opening on the 20 February.
The whole front of the building has been double glazed and sealed to make it less chilly.
A physiotherapist room, training rooms, a canteen and coffee shop had been added, the judge’s boxes refurbished and a disabled lift installed.
“We are currently unused by disabled people and are hoping that by making the centre more accessible even more people will be able to enjoy it,” said Maggie Winham, the Club’s treasurer.
This year the Para Restricted Summer Dressage Championships will be held at Solihull Riding Club at the end of August for the first time.
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Alex Copeland, head of sport development at the BEF, said: “In such a central location, Solihull is a premier competition and training venue offering showjumping, eventing, dressage, horseball and western competitions.
“By investing in facilities like this across England we are aiming to give more people better places to take part in equestrian sport to ensure they can reach their full potential as athletes and get the most from their sport.”
The Solihull Riding Club was opened in 1943 and now has over 500 members.
The club’s training and competition facility spans 220 acres and will be used to support the 54 riders on the BEF’s Excel talent programme.
“The centre will become the primary training venue for the programme’s coaching sessions, providing the BEF with a central hub to support the development of the next generation of champion athletes,” said a BEF spokesman.
For more information visit: www.solihullridingclub.co.uk
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