Elisabeth Svendsen Trust

EST Belfast is holding a Nativity and carol service by candlelight on Sunday 18th December from 4pm.

The evening will include carols from the Glengormley Methodist Youth choir. Children who visit the centre throughout the year for riding therapy will be taking part in the Nativity procession accompanied by the centre’s donkeys.

Admission and parking at the centre is free and there will be plenty of delicious festive food along with opportunities for visitors to meet and greet the wonderful 13 donkeys and adopt one as an alternative Christmas gift.

Celebrity chef James Martin will be hosting a black tie dinner at Barnaby’s Restaurant, Ballyclare, on Thursday 22nd September from 7.00pm to raise funds for EST Belfast.

The ‘Dinner by James Martin’ event will include a four course meal and dancing to classic American songs provided by a top US Motown group and proceeds from the evening will be donated to Templepatrick’s Elisabeth Svendsen Trust for Children and Donkeys (EST) which was officially opened by the Princess Royal in June.

A local charity is today launching an appeal to find more volunteers to help support its work, providing donkey therapy to children with special needs and nursing home residents throughout County Antrim.

The team at EST Belfast are organising a musical fundraising evening on 29th March from 7.30pm at Barnabys Restaurant to raise funds for its newest centre at Templepatrick, County Antrim.

March Medley will be an entertaining evening filled with music performed by local singing group ‘Gaslight’ plus an extra special performance on the harp and the dulcimer by Dick and Sabina Glasgow.

A large steel frame for a new donkey-riding therapy centre for children with special needs just outside Belfast has now been erected, and a ribbon cutting ceremony is being held to celebrate on Thursday 29th July at 10am.

Staff from the Devon headquarters of the Elisabeth Svendsen Trust for Children and Donkeys charity (EST) will visit the centre in Ballypalady near Templepatrick to celebrate the event. The occasion was re-scheduled after an attempt to cut the ‘first sod’ earlier in May was hindered by travel chaos caused by the volcanic ash cloud.