Brighton riding school given “new lease of life” thanks to ‘Cash4Clubs’ funding

Long Furlong Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA), which gives riding opportunities to people age from 18 to 93, will boost facilities at their Pyecombe-base… and may one day help them produce a future Paralympian.

Organisers say the cash – given to them by Flutter’s Cash4Club’s sporting scheme - will give the club a huge boost as they look to expand membership, allowing more local adults to join from its long waiting list.

Flutter UKI funds Cash4Clubs and has selected 200 winners from across the country as recipients of £2,000 worth of funding to help drive participation in sports and wellbeing activities by improving facilities and running coaching programmes.

Louise Larkman, founder of Long Furlong RDA, which celebrated its 10th birthday earlier this month, said: “This funding is incredible and gives us a proper new lease of life. When I started the group I acquired lots of bits and pieces of equipment from groups who were already established, but we have been in desperate need of new equipment.

“At Long Furlong RDA our disabled riders can stretch themselves, explore and engage with their senses in a safe and supportive way, and hopefully have a little bit of fun as well.

“For many, getting on a horse, when you don’t have use of your legs, and exploring the outdoors can give a real, wonderful sense of freedom.

“This funding will make our members so happy. Hopefully, we can grow our membership and, you never know, we might even one day see a future Paralympian come from the club!”

Louise, who set up the club – based at the Chestnuts Riding School on London Road in Pyecombe - in 2014, said that the club currently has a long waiting list of riders from across Sussex keen to join.

She added: “At the moment, we can only accommodate 18 riders in a day and that's over morning and afternoon sessions.

“We're only doing Wednesday’s at the moment but there's a possibility, with funding like the grant from Cast4Clubs, we could soon be doing 50 riders a week in the future with extra days.”

The group, run solely by volunteers, will purchase hats and boots, which many riders may not be able to afford.

Louise said that the people who take part range from 18 to 93-years-old.

She said: “It's really great therapy because if you're a rider in a wheelchair, having lost the use of your legs, you can use the four legs to take you around; you can get out into the countryside, which is not always accessible to people in wheelchairs or with mobility issues.

“It's a real whole-body workout using 100 different muscles a minute. It's fantastic physical and mental therapy. It gives people an opportunity to do something they wouldn't be able to in the wheelchair and that's incredible.”

Since the Cash4Clubs initiative was launched in 2008, nearly £6.5 million has been invested into community sports by Flutter UKI.

Last year, over 40,000 people across 50 different sports benefitted from the Cash4Clubs fund. Almost 85 per cent of those clubs funded were from lower socio-economic groups.

Other clubs in the Brighton area to have received vital grants from the Flutter Cash4Clubs funding initiative include Beach Tennis UK, Brighton Natural Health Foundation, Long Furlong Riding for the Disabled, Miss Kix Women's Football Club and Sussex Spitfires (Sight Support Worthing).

Speaking on behalf of Flutter UKI, Chief Executive Kevin Harrington, said: “The Cash4Clubs initiative is a key part of our group’s global commitment to improve the lives of 10 million people in the communities where we operate by 2030 as part of our Positive Impact Plan. Community clubs are the bedrock of sport in the UK and Ireland, and we are committed to doing everything we can to help these smaller organisations continue to make a big difference to people’s lives.

“Last year we doubled our funding from £200,000 to £400,000 after receiving so many applications. The number of clubs needing financial assistance continues to grow, which indicates the real value these grants have for local grassroots organisations, many of which are existing on a shoestring.”

Now applications for next year’s Cash4Clubs grants will be available later in 2025 for clubs and groups in the Sussex area.

For more information please visit https://cash-4-clubs.com/.