I am a reporter on a local newspaper and have had my eyes opened to the number of families just in my area who are living with special children since I began writing about Special Horses for Special Children.
The more I followed the progress of the founder LIlias Ahmeira (mother of an autistic) and the work she and her staff and volunteers were doing, the more I saw the little miracles and became drawn in.
I began to volunteer at the therapy sessions whenever I had time and the more I spoke to the parents, the more I learned about the isolation many felt, this led me to interview some of those who lived locally and share heir stories with our readers .
In September 2012, Lilias ,who had thrown herself full time into setting up the centre in 2011,ran out of money and energy and when the staff and some of the parenst asked me to help with a rescue programme, I volunteered my PR skills to get a media campaign going and seek out trustees for setting up a charity .
Thanks to public support and some generous donations, we got through the winter and are now working hard now to make the charity self-supporting.
The centre now offers Asdan educational courses to certify young people with learning disabilities in basic equine care and to certify volunteers. Youngsters from the nearby 3Dimensions school for autistics are among those accessing the course to gether with members of a peer support groups for isolated adults in the nearby town of Chard.
Local politicans have become involved as they see the advantage to the health and well being of the families as a whole,some of whom are travelling from as far as Surrey,Birmingham and Wales to access this unique place.
It is wonderful, we are all a big family and there are no labels, the only rules are really to respect eachother ,if a child just wants to groom a horse all day or play with a hosepipe until the feel comfortabe that is fine,everyone is gently eased into the therapy via play and fun. If a meltdown happens it happens, no one worries, it is just dealt with assessed and parents offered the tools to help themsleves.
I AM SO IMPRESSED BY THIS PLACE ,I HAVE NEVER FELT TO PASSIONATE ABOUT ANYTHING.
As one mother put it, " I was told there was no cavalry, Special Horses are the cavalry".
