Surprise party for pony club stalwart

The Mid Surrey Branch of the Pony Club held a surprise party for its district commissioner Gina Kitchener on 15 July to celebrate her 20 years of service.

Around 200 friends, officials, and members, old and new, gathered in the Pony Club field in Walton on the Hill, Surrey.

Mrs Kitchener, who had thought she was attending a family christening that day, said: “I didn’t have a clue that any of this was happening. I’m overwhelmed by so many people coming today.”

Mrs Kitchener was presented with a “book of thoughts”, which included comments, letters and poems from about 150 people.

Her achievements include securing a lottery grant that funded a training bank, a water complex and a large barn. Under her leadership, the branch now enjoys one of the largest memberships in the pony club.

Mrs Kitchener, who was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year, became a rally organiser in 1984 before being appointed district commissioner three years later.

Mid Surrey Branch of the Pony Club website

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