Bourton Vale Equestrian Centre in its current form celebrates its 20^th birthday on the 1^st April, but has actually been active as a riding establishment for the last 25 years. The stables have always advocated the use of animals (horses and ponies in particular) as a way to encourage youngsters to get active, take on responsibility and develop empathy. Being a Pony club centre for over 15 years and developing clubs to get young people from every background involved in what has always been perceived as an elitist sport, we are delighted to announce a new project that we hope will further benefit our community. CROP – Cotswold Riding (and Rural) Opportunities Project aims to continue and further develop the opportunities that have been provided and subsidised by BVEC over the last 5 years. Our clubs for children attract a regular attendance of over 30 each active week. These are consist of (free of charge) hands on but non riding activities for our youngest members and 6 week riding courses starting from only £30 (per course) for the older ones. Our success stories are numerous and are what have driven us to find a way to keep these opportunities going which has led us to the development of CROP because we believe ‘from tiny seeds, big things grow’. We are now actively seeking sponsors to support this project – Please get in touch to find out more and discover how you might be able to help!

Leanne Launchbury