Latest / The Folkestone & Hythe Sports Podcast / LISTEN BACK TO KATE TELLING US ABOUT THE ALKHAM VALLEY COMMUNITY PROJECT+MORE LOCAL SPORTY STORIES.

Transcript

LISTEN BACK TO KATE TELLING US ABOUT THE ALKHAM VALLEY COMMUNITY PROJECT+MORE LOCAL SPORTY STORIES. · The Folkestone & Hythe Sports Podcast

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: This is Kevin Sports for Daily here on Radio Folks them.
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: Bringing you the folks done on Hive Sports show, so
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: they show we have reports on the usual suspects such as.
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: Football, rugby and hockey.
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: That's if I can squeeze them all in because we've
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: got a really busy show today. But we've also got
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: some news on how you can get involved in either
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: the Boxing Day Dip or the Siltworth Boxing Day fun run.
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: Plus we've got a special guest in the day. We
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: are welcome bar To Kate from the Orkha Valley Community Project,
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: who'll be telling us all about what goes on up
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: there in the Orkham Valley, So don't go anywhere, stay tuned.
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: We've got our first Christmas song of the show today
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: and you might know this one.
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: One oh five point nine Radio focustone.
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: This song has been adopted by Queen of the Night
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: a tribute to Whitney Houston at the Least Cliff Haul.
• 1:15
  Speaker 3: On the twenty sixth of April.
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: The cast would love to wish you all a very
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: happy Christmas Folkston's radio station Radio focustone.
• 1:32
  Speaker 3: One.
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: Christmas Just one. That's Mariah Carey there and I think
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: you might hear that again once or twice before Christmas,
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: don't you anyway?
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: That's sponsored there?
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: That one is by We want to think Queen Queen
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: of the Night and the Queen of the Night on
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: the twenty sixth of April is a Whitney Houston tribute ax,
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: you know, And I might just treat myever of missus
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: Ferret to that because she loves Whitney Houston and it's
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: very close to her birthday. I hope she's not listening
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: in so don't tell her if you see her, all right,
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: just keep it's just between you and me.
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: Ag Well.
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: We're joined in a studio by today by Kate from
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: the Orkham Valley Community Project.
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: Hello Kate, how are you?
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: Hi?
• 2:22
  Speaker 3: I'm very well, thank you lovely to be back.
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: On y great it's nearly a year, you know, where
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: is it gone? There's just so much going on, unbelievable.
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: But so what we're going to do. We're going to
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: start again. I think.
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: Just tell us a bit about the Orkham Valley Community
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: Project and what's your role up there?
• 2:43
  Speaker 4: Hi?
• 2:43
  Speaker 3: Sure?
• 2:44
  Speaker 4: So? The Olkham Valley Community Project is a registered charity
• 2:47
  Speaker 4: and we provide horse riding and questionrian activities with the
• 2:51
  Speaker 4: aim of promoting the health and well being of those
• 2:54
  Speaker 4: who take part. My role is chiefly as an administrator,
• 3:00
  Speaker 4: although I also do help out with some of the sessions,
• 3:03
  Speaker 4: some of the enrichment days with moving horses around, feeding
• 3:07
  Speaker 4: all that kind of thing, but also taking part in
• 3:11
  Speaker 4: lovely things like this, or I get to sit in
• 3:12
  Speaker 4: the warm for an hour instead of being.
• 3:14
  Speaker 3: Out there in the mud.
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: Have you been up there today?
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: I have.
• 3:17
  Speaker 4: Indeed, Yeah, I was up there at eight o'clock this morning,
• 3:19
  Speaker 4: but I've got to leave early to day to come
• 3:21
  Speaker 4: and see you.
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: Yes, that's very nice, right, Okay, So I hope everyone
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: if they can't be listening in up there, I hope
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: everyone can hear the recording. We do hope to record
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: this so that everybody up at the project can hear it. So, now,
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: the Orkham Valley Community Project in itself, it doesn't say
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: anything about horses, so there must have had some sort
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: of history about it.
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: So tell us a little bit about that.
• 3:43
  Speaker 3: That's absolutely right.
• 3:44
  Speaker 4: When the Orkham Valley Community Project started, it wasn't just horses,
• 3:48
  Speaker 4: which is why it doesn't say horses or equestrian in
• 3:52
  Speaker 4: the name. When the project started, there were also arts
• 3:56
  Speaker 4: and crafts and gardening and outdoor activity. Is that was
• 4:01
  Speaker 4: some time ago now probably over a decade, and as
• 4:06
  Speaker 4: time has gone on. Actually what people wanted from us
• 4:10
  Speaker 4: was the thing that we do uniquely, which is the
• 4:13
  Speaker 4: horse and equestrian related activity.
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: So that is now our focus. That's what we provide, right, okay.
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: So I mean from my experience of going up there.
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: If you remember last time I went up and had
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: a look around, you showed me around and I just
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: realized how big the places and how much you do
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: up there. But you do a lot of work with them.
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: If you like special needs type children, don't you, so
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: tell us about that we do.
• 4:41
  Speaker 4: We work with children and adults with a wide variety
• 4:44
  Speaker 4: of needs, be that physical or mental or emotional health
• 4:49
  Speaker 4: and support needs. So we work with clients with cerebral palsy,
• 4:52
  Speaker 4: with autism, ADHD, with anxiety or brain injury, developmental delays,
• 4:58
  Speaker 4: site loss, and the list goes on on and on.
• 5:02
  Speaker 4: Alongside our mainstream riding lessons two days a week, we
• 5:06
  Speaker 4: work with the clients with, like I say, a wide
• 5:09
  Speaker 4: range of needs because part of our ethos and part
• 5:13
  Speaker 4: of what we want to do is to make equestrian
• 5:16
  Speaker 4: sport and activity accessible to those members of our local
• 5:19
  Speaker 4: community who might otherwise be unable to access those benefits.
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: Right, and I mean the very nature of the horse.
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: Do you have to have specially chosen horses, you know,
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: the ones that are calm? Or is a horse once trained?
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: I suppose is it naturally calm just takes only certain
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: things to perhaps upset here.
• 5:38
  Speaker 4: I think we are very very lucky to have some
• 5:40
  Speaker 4: very special horses. Actually, not every horse in the world
• 5:44
  Speaker 4: could do the job that our horses do. We have
• 5:48
  Speaker 4: got just over twenty horses on our riding school license,
• 5:53
  Speaker 4: and probably about half of those we would use to
• 5:56
  Speaker 4: assist our specialized sessions. So for riders with additional needs
• 6:00
  Speaker 4: or disabilities, and as you say, that needs to be
• 6:04
  Speaker 4: a horse who we can trust to stay calm if
• 6:08
  Speaker 4: a rider loses balance, or for example, if we have
• 6:11
  Speaker 4: a rider who might have verbal ticks, might make sudden
• 6:15
  Speaker 4: or surprising movements or noises. There are lots and lots
• 6:19
  Speaker 4: of horses who would find that very stressful. But we've
• 6:22
  Speaker 4: worked really hard to choose horses with the right temperament
• 6:27
  Speaker 4: and then work with them train them so that they
• 6:30
  Speaker 4: don't react or find that stressful and do something.
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: And on the other side, as offense, do some of
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: your clients that are perhaps going up there for the
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: first time, are they're a little bit scared at the
• 6:40
  Speaker 2: horses that you have to build up their confidence very much.
• 6:43
  Speaker 4: So it's really really common for someone even if they're
• 6:47
  Speaker 4: really keen to start riding. Actually when you're there at
• 6:50
  Speaker 4: the mountain block faced with half a ton of animal, yeah.
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: You don't realize their big day. I do you.
• 6:55
  Speaker 4: Absolutely, absolutely, And especially if you're a younger rider, if
• 6:58
  Speaker 4: you're six years older and you've got to climb up
• 7:01
  Speaker 4: onto a mountain block first of all, when then up
• 7:03
  Speaker 4: onto a horse, that's an intimidating thing. So it does,
• 7:07
  Speaker 4: you know, it does take digging deep sometimes for our riders,
• 7:11
  Speaker 4: but all of our instructors and all of our staff
• 7:13
  Speaker 4: are so used to experiencing that with a client. They're
• 7:18
  Speaker 4: very kind, very supportive, and we'll really work slowly with
• 7:22
  Speaker 4: a client to get them on board.
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: And do you have you got the smaller horses up there,
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: any ponies or anything like that.
• 7:26
  Speaker 3: We certainly do.
• 7:27
  Speaker 4: We've got four Shetland ponies actually, which are yeah, absolutely,
• 7:34
  Speaker 4: you might need a roller skates on the floor. So yeah,
• 7:38
  Speaker 4: we've got the four Shetland ponies who mostly aren't ridden,
• 7:41
  Speaker 4: but then we've got some very small ponies as well
• 7:44
  Speaker 4: that we start our younger beginners off on, going all
• 7:47
  Speaker 4: the way up to We have got a couple of
• 7:48
  Speaker 4: Irish Drafts as our biggest horses, so they would be
• 7:52
  Speaker 4: for our adult riders, and they're approaching sixteen hands both
• 7:56
  Speaker 4: of those.
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: Right, And I mean, so the people come to you,
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: but do you ever actually get out in the community
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: and go to them in any schools or any clubs
• 8:04
  Speaker 2: or anything.
• 8:06
  Speaker 4: We don't tend to take our horses and ponies out
• 8:09
  Speaker 4: to schools, but we do work with a lot of
• 8:12
  Speaker 4: schools in the local area. Actually, we work with Martello
• 8:15
  Speaker 4: Primary and Stella Marris in Folkston. We have historically worked
• 8:21
  Speaker 4: with Folks in school for girls and we're hoping to
• 8:23
  Speaker 4: restart that soon. We also work with Channels and Choices,
• 8:28
  Speaker 4: with learning opportunities and with River Primary have been with
• 8:33
  Speaker 4: us today in fact for an enrichment day. And the
• 8:37
  Speaker 4: list goes on. There are lots of specialist schools in
• 8:39
  Speaker 4: the community who comes to us on a weekly basis.
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: That's brilliant. I think a lot of parents out there
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: might not know this. I mean, girls end boys when
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: they're growing up, they either want to be a nurse
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: or doctor or something. But I mean a lot of
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: people have got as youngsters, have got this thing about horses,
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: and perhaps they don't realize that you're out there. So parents, please,
• 8:58
  Speaker 2: please please have a little and we give you some
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: details about how to get in touch later on in
• 9:03
  Speaker 2: the show.
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: But I've just got a few little things here. Now
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: there's one.
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: There's a couple of things here that interest me. Excuse me,
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: I picked up that you've got. I've just got here
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: a book war Horse, right, So that's all I've got
• 9:19
  Speaker 2: to say, So tell me about.
• 9:20
  Speaker 3: That, okay.
• 9:21
  Speaker 4: So I'm sure lots of your listeners will be familiar
• 9:24
  Speaker 4: with the book and the play and the film of Warhorse,
• 9:28
  Speaker 4: and lots of schools across the country, but in the
• 9:31
  Speaker 4: local area to study Warhorse as a text. In year
• 9:34
  Speaker 4: six we offer a an enrichment day for local schools.
• 9:39
  Speaker 4: If their students are studying Warhorse, they can come to
• 9:43
  Speaker 4: us and we do our best to bring that to
• 9:45
  Speaker 4: life for them. So, in fact, that's why River Primary
• 9:47
  Speaker 4: have been at our project today. That's what they've been
• 9:50
  Speaker 4: doing so well all this. Children who come will have
• 9:54
  Speaker 4: a chance to ride, but we'll also talk them through
• 9:57
  Speaker 4: how the horses would have been kept during the First
• 9:59
  Speaker 4: World War, or what it would have been like as
• 10:03
  Speaker 4: one of the perhaps farmers or bakers whose horse would
• 10:08
  Speaker 4: have been commissioned by the army. You know, they would
• 10:10
  Speaker 4: have come along and said, we'll take that one, that
• 10:12
  Speaker 4: one's too small. So all of this will go through
• 10:15
  Speaker 4: really getting a hands on experience for them to understand
• 10:19
  Speaker 4: what it would have been like for the owners and
• 10:20
  Speaker 4: then for the horses, for the soldiers who would have
• 10:22
  Speaker 4: been looking after the horses, and like I say, and
• 10:25
  Speaker 4: then they get a chance to ride as well.
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: It's amazing story, isn't he war horse? Because I mean
• 10:31
  Speaker 2: it's kind of been i'm going to say glorified a
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: little bit in recent times. But it's quite tragic that
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: back in the day you've got you know, half a
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: dozen horses and they're your pits or they're working. All
• 10:42
  Speaker 2: of a sudden someone comes along says, right, we're going
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: to take those. It must like, yeah, just heartbreaking, mustn't it.
• 10:48
  Speaker 4: I think that's really true and that is something that
• 10:52
  Speaker 4: always comes across when we do these enrichment days with
• 10:54
  Speaker 4: the children, they suddenly realize, you know, of course they've
• 10:58
  Speaker 4: studied the fact that horses went to war, but then
• 11:00
  Speaker 4: you realize that these horses that in my daily life
• 11:03
  Speaker 4: I spent all of my time looking after and treating
• 11:06
  Speaker 4: like a pet. Really and suddenly someone could come along
• 11:09
  Speaker 4: take them to a really very unpleasant situation and that
• 11:14
  Speaker 4: might well be the last year ever saw of them.
• 11:16
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right, it's amazing. And do you find that
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: the children really they're not interested, or their minds are wondering,
• 11:24
  Speaker 2: or they're really totally the other way.
• 11:27
  Speaker 4: Usually the other way. Yet we find that they really
• 11:30
  Speaker 4: do engage. Like I say, the aim is to bring
• 11:34
  Speaker 4: it to life for them, and we will adapt on
• 11:37
  Speaker 4: the day. Depending on the group of children that arrive
• 11:39
  Speaker 4: in front of us. It might be that we spend
• 11:42
  Speaker 4: some more time looking at the tech and the harness.
• 11:45
  Speaker 4: We might look at some of the artwork that was
• 11:47
  Speaker 4: produced at the time, or if we've got quite a
• 11:49
  Speaker 4: lively group, it might be that actually we put on
• 11:51
  Speaker 4: a live demonstration. Some of our staff might demonstrate a
• 11:55
  Speaker 4: very very small cavalry charge. So we really work on
• 12:00
  Speaker 4: the ground very quickly with their teachers and the children
• 12:02
  Speaker 4: to engage them for their two and a half hours
• 12:06
  Speaker 4: that they're with us.
• 12:07
  Speaker 2: Yeah, sounds really exciting. Well, I can only compare it
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: to I do a little event over a tenadon on
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: the steam train and we turned the whole station into
• 12:16
  Speaker 2: nineteen forties and the schools are invited and they come
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: along with their period costume and their boxes that's supposed
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: to be gas mask, you know.
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: And there's one particular lady.
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: She talks about cooking and what the rationing was like
• 12:29
  Speaker 2: during the war, and she's got a little examples of
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: how much butter, how much bacon, and the rest of it.
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: And the kids are absolutely amazed that, you know, they are.
• 12:39
  Speaker 2: She's got this lady has these kids in the palm
• 12:42
  Speaker 2: of her head. You know. They are so engaging, and
• 12:44
  Speaker 2: they they switch off from xboxes and phones and that,
• 12:49
  Speaker 2: and when you talk to them afterwards, they are they're
• 12:52
  Speaker 2: really really staggered by what went on.
• 12:56
  Speaker 4: I think that's really key, the thing you say about
• 12:59
  Speaker 4: getting away from screen. Yeah, I think for children today
• 13:01
  Speaker 4: that's really important.
• 13:02
  Speaker 2: Right, We're gonna have a little breakdown. Play a bit
• 13:04
  Speaker 2: of music now, I've been scaring the playlist really for
• 13:09
  Speaker 2: some horsey songs. And I don't know if you remember
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: this one, but I certainly do, and I haven't heard
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: it for a long long time. So let's have a
• 13:16
  Speaker 2: little listen to this one. On the first part of
• 13:27
  Speaker 2: the journey was talking all the line never go from
• 13:41
  Speaker 2: nineteen seventy one. I bet you haven't heard that for
• 13:43
  Speaker 2: a long time, have you? And that's a horse with
• 13:46
  Speaker 2: no name?
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: Okay?
• 13:48
  Speaker 2: Have all your horses got names up there?
• 13:51
  Speaker 4: Right? Do you.
• 13:54
  Speaker 2: Ever getting mixed up or any horses? Do horses have
• 13:57
  Speaker 2: like an identity? You know that there's the color in there,
• 14:00
  Speaker 2: markings and that, and you can tell them instantly from like.
• 14:04
  Speaker 4: I would love to say that I've never got it wrong.
• 14:06
  Speaker 4: We do have quite a few Gray Knomar opponies on
• 14:11
  Speaker 4: our yard, and I am ashamed to say that I
• 14:13
  Speaker 4: do sometimes get it wrong, but.
• 14:15
  Speaker 3: I usually realize fairly quickly.
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: Yeah, okay, So we were talking earlier on about things
• 14:21
  Speaker 2: like ADHD, physical debilities, disabilities, learning disabilities. Now what are
• 14:27
  Speaker 2: the benefits that these these people that come up to you,
• 14:30
  Speaker 2: you know, what do I feel like when they finished
• 14:33
  Speaker 2: their session on a horse?
• 14:35
  Speaker 4: Well, I mean, of course that's different for everybody. But
• 14:38
  Speaker 4: I think in many ways the benefits that anybody could
• 14:43
  Speaker 4: get from horse riding. Firstly, it's a fun and effective
• 14:47
  Speaker 4: way of building self confidence, of coordination, of concentration, and
• 14:52
  Speaker 4: of course strength. And you know, we talked a minute
• 14:56
  Speaker 4: ago about how nervous somebody might feel the first time
• 14:59
  Speaker 4: they get on, But when they do get on, that
• 15:01
  Speaker 4: is an achievement. And for someone with additional needs as
• 15:06
  Speaker 4: much as for somebody who has no additional needs, that
• 15:09
  Speaker 4: is an achievement. That is something that can be recognized
• 15:11
  Speaker 4: as something that you have done that is positive that day,
• 15:14
  Speaker 4: and that's huge for self esteem in terms of motivation
• 15:18
  Speaker 4: of coming back. There are very small incremental gains that
• 15:24
  Speaker 4: can be recognized every time you get on a horse
• 15:26
  Speaker 4: or you spend time with a horse. Obviously you've got
• 15:29
  Speaker 4: the benefits of just being outdoors and again spending time
• 15:34
  Speaker 4: with horses. Both of those things have been proven to
• 15:37
  Speaker 4: have an antidepressant effect and to lower stress levels, and
• 15:41
  Speaker 4: horse riding and time spent with horses is actually internationally
• 15:44
  Speaker 4: recognized as beneficial. For example, for people with autism, it
• 15:48
  Speaker 4: can promote communication skills, it can offer sensory experiences. For
• 15:54
  Speaker 4: someone with physical disability, it enables that exercise. It promotes
• 15:58
  Speaker 4: that corese strength and balance, you know. I know there
• 16:01
  Speaker 4: is sometimes an element of people say, oh, you're horse riding,
• 16:04
  Speaker 4: You're just sitting there and the horses doing the work.
• 16:07
  Speaker 4: I can assure you that that's not the case. You
• 16:09
  Speaker 4: do have to work on your balance and your coordination
• 16:13
  Speaker 4: and thinking about the movement of that horse, whether you're
• 16:18
  Speaker 4: an able bodied rider or somebody who has got some
• 16:22
  Speaker 4: physical disability, and all of that is just combined in
• 16:28
  Speaker 4: what we hope is a fun and friendly environment that
• 16:32
  Speaker 4: is accessible to people who maybe find it challenging to
• 16:37
  Speaker 4: engage in perhaps mainstream sport or group sessions in other environments.
• 16:43
  Speaker 2: Right, So that's perfect. I think, yes, there's a brilliant
• 16:46
  Speaker 2: explanation there. But we do know of a couple of
• 16:50
  Speaker 2: your young superstars, if you like, that have gone from
• 16:54
  Speaker 2: you know, perhaps one day where they were frightening horses,
• 16:56
  Speaker 2: but now they are in a different league. I understand,
• 16:58
  Speaker 2: So tell us about that absolutely.
• 17:00
  Speaker 4: So. I think last time I was on the show,
• 17:02
  Speaker 4: we spoke about Kayla, one of our young riders, who
• 17:05
  Speaker 4: at the time had just received her grading from British
• 17:09
  Speaker 4: Dressage to qualify her for national Championships in Para dressage. Obviously,
• 17:15
  Speaker 4: like any other sports, dressage has a para component, like
• 17:20
  Speaker 4: the Paralympics would be so Kayla and also one of
• 17:25
  Speaker 4: our young riders, Maddie, who went on to get her
• 17:27
  Speaker 4: grading as well. We have supported both of those girls
• 17:31
  Speaker 4: over the summer to go up and take part in
• 17:33
  Speaker 4: the RDA, which is the riding for the Disabled Association
• 17:37
  Speaker 4: Para Dressage Championships. We're absolutely delighted because both Kayla and
• 17:43
  Speaker 4: Maddie came away as national champions and they just couldn't
• 17:47
  Speaker 4: have done themselves more proud than we are.
• 17:49
  Speaker 2: Proud.
• 17:50
  Speaker 4: Yeah, absolutely on a tune, Yeah, we're delighted to have
• 17:54
  Speaker 4: been a part of their journey.
• 17:55
  Speaker 2: I'd say that's gone. That's another story that sneaked under
• 17:58
  Speaker 2: the radar, and I think that is down to people
• 18:02
  Speaker 2: like you and your colleagues, your volunteers, giving up your
• 18:07
  Speaker 2: time and patience to help these Kayla and Maddie and
• 18:12
  Speaker 2: don't benefit it so much from it, haven't they?
• 18:14
  Speaker 3: They really have.
• 18:14
  Speaker 4: And I'm really pleased that you mentioned the volunteers there,
• 18:17
  Speaker 4: because actually that whole journey has taken place because of volunteers.
• 18:22
  Speaker 4: The work that we do for The writing of the
• 18:24
  Speaker 4: Riding for the Disabled Association almost entirely happens through the
• 18:29
  Speaker 4: time and effort of volunteers. There are very few members
• 18:33
  Speaker 4: of stuff who are paid on that. And where was
• 18:35
  Speaker 4: this competition that was up in Heartbury? So quite a
• 18:39
  Speaker 4: way to travel. So it involved, you know, not just
• 18:42
  Speaker 4: getting the girls there. Absolutely it's an overnight stay.
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: Did you manage to go?
• 18:48
  Speaker 3: Sadly not? No, I was on mum duty.
• 18:51
  Speaker 4: Oh yeah, but I was supporting them from a distance.
• 18:54
  Speaker 2: Oh well, what a you know experience that must have
• 18:57
  Speaker 2: been National championships there is fantastic and so well down
• 19:01
  Speaker 2: to you and everybody up there at the community project.
• 19:04
  Speaker 1: So what's the next step for them? Now? They try?
• 19:07
  Speaker 2: Can they have they got in that line of achievement
• 19:12
  Speaker 2: a chance to get into any sort of Olympic team.
• 19:15
  Speaker 4: I think that would be their ultimate hope and dream
• 19:19
  Speaker 4: that this is the pathway that Olympic riders. Sophie Christiansen
• 19:25
  Speaker 4: would be one example, have taken. They have started riding
• 19:29
  Speaker 4: with the Riding for the Disabled Association, They've started with
• 19:32
  Speaker 4: the RDA Para Championships and that's how they've progressed on
• 19:36
  Speaker 4: and on.
• 19:38
  Speaker 3: It's a long, hard path. But this is the first.
• 19:41
  Speaker 2: Step on this sounds like these girls are on the
• 19:44
  Speaker 2: first step with the ladder. I wouldn't be able to
• 19:46
  Speaker 2: see you just sitting in your front room watching them
• 19:48
  Speaker 2: on Italian Olympics. Okay, so before I start asking any
• 19:54
  Speaker 2: more questions, Kate, is there anything else you want to
• 19:57
  Speaker 2: tell us about what goes on up there.
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: I mean, it's it seems to be so much.
• 20:01
  Speaker 2: I don't know how we're going to pack all this in,
• 20:02
  Speaker 2: but I just don't want anybody to miss out on
• 20:07
  Speaker 2: this such enlightening program so far away.
• 20:10
  Speaker 1: Kate.
• 20:10
  Speaker 3: That's very kind of you.
• 20:12
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, we've talked a lot about our specialist sessions,
• 20:15
  Speaker 4: so to speak. I did want to be clear as
• 20:18
  Speaker 4: well that we do run mainstream riding sessions as well.
• 20:20
  Speaker 4: So for anyone aged five and up who would like
• 20:24
  Speaker 4: to have a go at horse riding, we do have
• 20:27
  Speaker 4: sessions all through the week. For younger riders, those are
• 20:30
  Speaker 4: on Mondays and Tuesdays after school and at the weekends.
• 20:35
  Speaker 4: And for adults there are some sessions during the day,
• 20:39
  Speaker 4: some in the evenings, and a couple of sessions at
• 20:41
  Speaker 4: the weekend as well. Anyone who would like to find
• 20:45
  Speaker 4: out more is very welcome to get in touch because
• 20:48
  Speaker 4: we are in always trying to make fun, friendly, accessible
• 20:55
  Speaker 4: riding lessons. I wanted to be really clear that there's
• 20:58
  Speaker 4: a very big stereotype about what a riding lesson might
• 21:01
  Speaker 4: look like with a shouty instructor and everybody dressed in
• 21:06
  Speaker 4: starched riding clothes, and that's really not what we're about.
• 21:11
  Speaker 3: I don't bite.
• 21:12
  Speaker 2: After being up there, I can imagine, you know. Unfortunately,
• 21:15
  Speaker 2: when I was up there, it was quite a quiet time,
• 21:17
  Speaker 2: which was good because it was nice to look around
• 21:19
  Speaker 2: at the facilities. But it looks so relaxed up there,
• 21:22
  Speaker 2: you know. I just couldn't imagine anybody do this, do that.
• 21:26
  Speaker 2: Not at all, No, no, not at all.
• 21:28
  Speaker 3: We try our best not to do that.
• 21:30
  Speaker 2: Right, So while we're on here, then there's any hellos
• 21:33
  Speaker 2: and thank you you want to.
• 21:34
  Speaker 4: Say, there are lots and lots of helloes, and thank
• 21:38
  Speaker 4: you actually, first of all to all of our clients
• 21:41
  Speaker 4: who support us and continue to support us through coming
• 21:44
  Speaker 4: for lessons and sessions. You know, we wouldn't be there
• 21:48
  Speaker 4: without you, guys. I would like to thank our current
• 21:52
  Speaker 4: funders who again keep us going, keep the lights on,
• 21:58
  Speaker 4: so to speak. So at the moment we've been very
• 22:00
  Speaker 4: grateful to receive some funding from Asda in Folkston, from
• 22:03
  Speaker 4: Collier Ferguson, from the Kent Community Foundation, and from Dover
• 22:07
  Speaker 4: District Council, who have been and continue to be a
• 22:10
  Speaker 4: great source of.
• 22:11
  Speaker 3: Support and referral for us.
• 22:15
  Speaker 4: Most of all, last, but not least, the wonderful staff
• 22:18
  Speaker 4: team who I've left behind up there in the wet
• 22:20
  Speaker 4: and the mud and the cold, keeping the horses safe
• 22:24
  Speaker 4: and happy, keeping the clients safe and happy, and just
• 22:27
  Speaker 4: generally keeping the whole thing going. And I'd also be
• 22:32
  Speaker 4: in trouble if I don't say hello to my children.
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: I think you're a superstar. Don't they.
• 22:40
  Speaker 3: Think anything else?
• 22:40
  Speaker 2: You are, right, So I really it just leaves us
• 22:45
  Speaker 2: if you think that's you know, the main points we've
• 22:49
  Speaker 2: got across. I think we've covered mostly is to turn
• 22:52
  Speaker 2: our listeners how they can get in touch.
• 22:55
  Speaker 4: Okay, so you can email us at admin at a
• 22:59
  Speaker 4: VCP dot co dot uk. You can have a look
• 23:03
  Speaker 4: at our website which is www dot AVCP dot co
• 23:07
  Speaker 4: dot uk. You can give us a ring on one
• 23:10
  Speaker 4: three O four eight two five two nine two, but
• 23:13
  Speaker 4: please forgive us if we're out on the yard mucking
• 23:15
  Speaker 4: out or you can find us on Facebook as well
• 23:19
  Speaker 4: as the Olkham Valley Community Project.
• 23:21
  Speaker 3: Yeah, well look forward to hearing from you.
• 23:22
  Speaker 1: That's great.
• 23:23
  Speaker 2: I've looked at that Facebook page and there's so much
• 23:26
  Speaker 2: going on. So so if this is the first time
• 23:28
  Speaker 2: that you've you might be driving around folks and and
• 23:31
  Speaker 2: just looking at station hopping and this has caught your attention,
• 23:35
  Speaker 2: because I've been doing this a long time now, and
• 23:37
  Speaker 2: this one I really really love supporting.
• 23:40
  Speaker 1: So if you've got a child.
• 23:42
  Speaker 2: That might have a few little special problems and but
• 23:45
  Speaker 2: loves horses, then now's your chance to get in touch
• 23:48
  Speaker 2: with Kate and the team up there.
• 23:50
  Speaker 4: And all right, Kate, well, thank you very much Kevin
• 23:54
  Speaker 4: as well for inviting me on and for taking the
• 23:56
  Speaker 4: time to let me talk about what I love.
• 23:58
  Speaker 2: No, it's been great, it's been great. But there's one
• 24:01
  Speaker 2: thing I must ask you. I mean, horses have to
• 24:03
  Speaker 2: be fed and muck tair all year round. Are you
• 24:07
  Speaker 2: working Christmas Day?
• 24:08
  Speaker 4: I will be there Christmas Day, but mainly our lovely
• 24:11
  Speaker 4: Jesse Marlowe, who works every single Christmas Day, will be
• 24:15
  Speaker 4: on duty.
• 24:17
  Speaker 2: Okay, all right, so once again, thank you so much.
• 24:20
  Speaker 2: For coming on and sharing the story about the projects
• 24:23
  Speaker 2: up there. And okay, this is the other song that
• 24:27
  Speaker 2: I found in the playlist and it made me chuckle
• 24:30
  Speaker 2: this one. But Kate, thanks for coming in and have
• 24:32
  Speaker 2: a great Christmas.
• 24:33
  Speaker 4: Thanks again for having me, and Merry Christmas to everybody.
• 25:30
  Speaker 2: Okay, Now, if you're looking for something sporty to do
• 25:33
  Speaker 2: on Boxing Day for a good cause, well you've got
• 25:36
  Speaker 2: two fantastic choices. If you like swimming, you can take
• 25:40
  Speaker 2: part in the Sunny Sands Boxing Day Dip.
• 25:42
  Speaker 1: It's organized by the Folks on Loons Club.
• 25:46
  Speaker 2: Registration is at the Mariners Pub from nine p thirty,
• 25:49
  Speaker 2: then into the water sometime between eleven and eleven thirty,
• 25:53
  Speaker 2: depending on the tides. Now the dip has been going
• 25:56
  Speaker 2: for as well as I don't know, as long as
• 25:57
  Speaker 2: I can remember at the Sunny Sands and it's packed
• 26:00
  Speaker 2: with spectators and dippers. Thousands of pounds has been raised
• 26:04
  Speaker 2: over the years and this year there is a fancy
• 26:06
  Speaker 2: dress competition for the best dressed individual, the best group,
• 26:11
  Speaker 2: the best under tens, and a trophy for the oldest
• 26:14
  Speaker 2: and the youngest dipper. Now to find out more, please
• 26:17
  Speaker 2: put a Boxing Day Dip in your Facebook page and
• 26:21
  Speaker 2: you can find a link there to the sponsorship form.
• 26:24
  Speaker 2: Now I say this every year and I just get
• 26:27
  Speaker 2: really ripped up about it. If the sides out and
• 26:31
  Speaker 2: someone is running down to the sea and wants to
• 26:34
  Speaker 2: go in on the day and he turns around and
• 26:37
  Speaker 2: runs a back, is he a chicken dipper?
• 26:40
  Speaker 1: Oh?
• 26:40
  Speaker 2: Yeah, every year, once a year that comes out out
• 26:42
  Speaker 2: of my Christmas cracker. And I will tell you that
• 26:45
  Speaker 2: unfortunately for the residents of Deal, there's no Christmas Day
• 26:50
  Speaker 2: Plunge sorry, Boxing Day Plunge, because the sea around there
• 26:54
  Speaker 2: has been described by the authorities as not fit to
• 26:58
  Speaker 2: swim in.
• 26:58
  Speaker 1: So how sad is that? Anyway.
• 27:01
  Speaker 2: The other sporting event you can take part in and
• 27:03
  Speaker 2: you don't have to like running for this one is
• 27:05
  Speaker 2: the forty eighth Saltwood Boxing Day Run, and I quote
• 27:10
  Speaker 2: it's three miles of mud and hills, the perfect hangover cure.
• 27:14
  Speaker 1: Now I will be on the mic at this one.
• 27:16
  Speaker 2: And in the past we've had, Wow, we've had a
• 27:18
  Speaker 2: thousand runners there. Some people get roped into it after
• 27:21
  Speaker 2: a couple of drinks on Christmas Day, but it is
• 27:24
  Speaker 2: for all the family. This is also a massive fundraising
• 27:27
  Speaker 2: morning and like the Dip of raised thousands of pounds
• 27:30
  Speaker 2: for worthwhile charities and local causes. Registration is on the
• 27:34
  Speaker 2: day opens at ten o'clock and it closes at eleven
• 27:37
  Speaker 2: thirty at the Saltwood Village Hall. The run starts at twelve. Now,
• 27:41
  Speaker 2: if the weather stays like it has been really wet
• 27:43
  Speaker 2: and horrible, then one piece of advice is to tape
• 27:46
  Speaker 2: your run is shoes around your ankles. It has been
• 27:49
  Speaker 2: known for runners to finish the race after losing a
• 27:51
  Speaker 2: shoe in the mud, never to be seen again. Now
• 27:56
  Speaker 2: I want to get this one in before today's show
• 27:59
  Speaker 2: is over. I want to to give two brave ladies
• 28:01
  Speaker 2: a special mention. These two ladies are doing the twelve
• 28:05
  Speaker 2: Dips of Christmas, which means they must go into cold
• 28:08
  Speaker 2: water normally the sea and dip their shoulders in the
• 28:12
  Speaker 2: water twelve times in the run up to Christmas. Last
• 28:15
  Speaker 2: week's guest of the show, Cleo Smith, has now managed
• 28:18
  Speaker 2: six dips so far and Folks and Running Club member
• 28:22
  Speaker 2: Helen Merrick has done five and she wants this is good.
• 28:25
  Speaker 2: She wants to make her twelfth dip at the Sunny
• 28:28
  Speaker 2: Sands on Boxing Day. What a great finale that is eh,
• 28:32
  Speaker 2: So why are.
• 28:33
  Speaker 1: They doing this?
• 28:34
  Speaker 2: Well, they both have their own special personal reasons. However,
• 28:38
  Speaker 2: they are doing it to raise money for cancer research UK.
• 28:42
  Speaker 2: So if you want to find out more about these
• 28:43
  Speaker 2: two special ladies and you want to help them out
• 28:47
  Speaker 2: by just making a very small donation, I've put both
• 28:50
  Speaker 2: of their links on my Kevin Daily Facebook page, So
• 28:53
  Speaker 2: please go on my Facebook page and scroll down until
• 28:57
  Speaker 2: you find the links because it is such a to do.
• 29:00
  Speaker 2: I know people go in swimming all year round, but
• 29:03
  Speaker 2: these two ladies are stepping out of their comfort zone
• 29:06
  Speaker 2: to do something really, really special, and I think it's
• 29:10
  Speaker 2: just a great idea, don't you. Now, If you've done
• 29:12
  Speaker 2: really something special over the past year, and perhaps you're
• 29:15
  Speaker 2: doing something special this next year, then please get in
• 29:19
  Speaker 2: touch and let me know. Because this show is about
• 29:22
  Speaker 2: a community of folks and people that sometimes do things
• 29:26
  Speaker 2: outside the box and why not And I'm here to
• 29:30
  Speaker 2: help you spread your story so you don't go unnoticed. Okay, Well,
• 29:34
  Speaker 2: I'll be back on Saturday with Adie Dawk's co presenting
• 29:37
  Speaker 2: his show and I've got loads of support. Unfortunately I
• 29:41
  Speaker 2: left out. Are going to try and cram it in
• 29:43
  Speaker 2: on Saturday so i'll see you then