Penny scoots to the rescue
When six-year old Penny Williams heard that Blue Acre Horse Rescue, in Old Windsor needed financial help to support the one hundred animals in its care she came up with a plan… and not only did it raise badly needed funds it also got the royal seal of approval!
Penny, who lives with her parents Jamie and Claire, and big sister Lola in Ascot, volunteers every Sunday morning at the rescue centre, and has formed a special bond with a gentle pony also called Penny. Their friendship prompted the little girl to ride her scooter all the way from our bronze War Horse Memorial to the Copper Horse on Windsor Long Walk. The five kilometre scoot took her one and a half hours - but her reward was to be greeted by her four-legged friend knowing she had raised a whopping £1,750 for Blue Acre.
And to top it all a surprise letter dropped through the letter box with a royal crest on the envelope. Penny had written to The Queen at Balmoral, to tell her of her challenge and to wish Her Majesty well, and her Lady in Waiting wrote back, telling Penny that The Queen was interested to learn of her scoot to “raise funds for such a worthy cause."
Mum Claire says all the family are really proud of her achievement. "She is so selfless and always puts helping animals above herself. She has formed a huge bond with Penny the horse and loves taking care of her. Through regular grooming and riding, they have built a relationship formed on trust and respect and therefore a wonderful friendship."
Sue Turner, fundraising manager at Blue Acre says Penny has a true love of and a natural affinity with horses and she just comes alive when she is around them and has built a particularly heart warming relationship with one in particular - also named Penny. Sue explains : "Blue Acre is a sanctuary for rescued horses, not a riding school, but it seemed right to introduce Penny to riding this gentle pony with the help of Millie, one of our teenage volunteers. Penny is learning all aspects of horse care with Millie's guidance and, over time, she will learn about respect for all animals which is key to the work we do. Penny may not be old enough to tackle a lot of the manual jobs at the farm just yet but she is a real asset to us and we hope she will learn all about what we do and help us to educate others about horse welfare. We are so very proud to have her as part of our team.”
For our part, we at War Horse Memorial know of the wonderful work done by Blue Acre - one of our chosen charities. We believe that although she’s only six Penny knows instinctively the important role animals play in our lives and the bond we form with them that can last a lifetime. And she was prepared to do something to help Blue Acre when they needed help the most. She is a special little girl.
Penny is back at school now and planning her next fundraising event. But it's not too late to support her - and Blue Acre. Follow the link here https://www.gofundme.com/f/sponsored-scoot to Penny’s fundraising page to read more.