Elisabeth Svendsen Trust

EST Manchester has been open now for just over 3 years and in that time has welcomed many visitors, including children, schools and members of the public, to the Centre. Staff have carried out thousands of riding therapy sessions for children with special educational needs and disabilities, benefiting their lives immensely.

Can you can help us to make some alterations to the outdoor areas of EST Manchester to make life easier and more secure for both staff and donkeys?

When the Centre was originally constructed, we incorporated two large stable areas. We would like to provide additional shelter for our 21 beautiful donkeys and extra facilities for husbandry and storage. We would now like to adapt the original outdoor areas to incorporate:

Additional stabling:

The extra stabling will help keep our donkeys dry during the increasingly inclement British weather.

Adaptations to the feed store:

• We plan to provide access from outside the yard area by installing sliding doors; this will keep inquisitive donkeys at bay during feed time. Whilst it’s a charming sight to see Tufty, our ten year old
  white gelding, stick his nose into the feed shelter when the staff are trying to replenish the stables, it can make feeding time rather slow!
• Delivery drivers will be able to unload directly into the store without the need to move donkeys off the yard.
• We will also include a set aside area for the storage of stable equipment such as brooms, shavings forks, wheelbarrows etc.

An enclosed treatment area:

This area will mean that our vet and farrier would have a safe and dry area to treat and care for our donkeys. The children will also be able to use this area for stable management and grooming lessons. It would also be used if we ever need to isolate one of our donkeys from the rest of the group for health reasons.

A dedicated storage facility for our tractor, trailer and machinery:

This will provide additional security and will keep the machinery protected from the elements therefore prolonging its life.

Debbie Coombes, Principal at EST Manchester says "the adaptions to the stable area will be such a huge benefit to all of us. To be able to deal with our feed in a secure environment without the donkeys being able to access the store will be great, especially as the delivery driver will be able to unload without having to wait for a member of staff to move all of the donkeys.

"In addition, the children will be able to take advantage of having a covered area to be able to groom the donkeys and learn about stable management. To have a dedicated area for our vet and farrier to use will also mean that these treatments can be carried out under cover.

"Even more importantly we will be able to have a larger stable area which will be used in addition to one of the current stable areas for our wonderful donkeys to be able to shelter in the cold and rain and, with the British weather as it is, we envisage the new stabling will be well used!"

Can you help?

Please help us to make these changes possible by donating funds. We do hope that you will be able to make life easier and more secure for our staff and donkeys at Manchester. Just a few pence will buy one brick!