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Looking out from my room it’s great to see the sun and I can feel the warmth through the oil in my joints so, at last, spring is here with a flourish! However, Mother Nature isn’t the only one who is busy as I put this into print for you. The Shelley Centre too has started spring with a fever of activity as I will relate. Last time I told you about the whys and wherefores of our new Riders coming into the Centre. Now I can tell you that we have an addition to the Herd, a new pony, “Flower” or “Fleur” is her name, according to your choice; she is an 18 year old Welsh Section “A” Grey Mare. She is already settling in well and beginning to find her place in the Herd and importantly, is good with the Riders which makes her a great asset to the Centre. However, the biggest undertaking of recent times took place during the weeks before and after Easter which was the arrival and laying of our new surface in the Arena; the Wednesday before Easter the maintenance boys were earning their keep by levelling the existing surface in readiness for the following Wednesday when the new surface would arrive. If you have recently replaced your old car via the Government sponsored scrappage scheme and now visit the Centre you may well recognise part of it because our new surface is made from shredded car interiors would you believe; talk about recycling (BABS and I are a bit worried for our future now? What will be scrapped and recycled next?). From the talk of the Helpers the surface is surprisingly soft and will be good for both horse and Rider alike; an improvement on the previous white sand surface. Through my usual ear wigging, I understand this type of surface is already in use at many equestrian centres throughout the Country, so we are not by any means unique. Anyway, back to the big day. Lyn telephoned the driver, Graham, who informed her of his arrival time but, to everyone’s surprise, told us he was driving a lorry which is 60 foot (About 20 metres) long with two containers on board. Due to the size of the vehicle the team had to think of the best route for it to take to safely reach Shelley as all roads to the Centre are very narrow (With my SatNav skills I could have easily told them).
Graham, the driver, suggested that someone from the Centre went out to meet him and it was agreed to meet at the Four Sisters junction off of the A12. It turned out to be a good move as there were some very tight sections with only inches to spare either side for the lorry to pass through. I knew the lorry had arrived when it suddenly went dark in my room; what a size! After much skilled manoeuvring the lorry was unloaded and off on its way home to Birmingham; it certainly makes you respect the skill and patience of the drivers who handle these vehicles on a day to day basis. Now the hard work begins. During the Wednesday afternoon and again on Friday the maintenance team, assisted by volunteers from the Helpers, shovelled, barrowed and raked the new surface into place sustained by numerous cups of coffee, squash, muffins, doughnuts, biscuits and chocolates but, by Friday night it was in place. It certainly looks strange from my room; a mottle effect of yellow, white, grey and black. Moving on from the excitement over the new surface I will come to fund raising. You will all be aware that the London Marathon was run on Sunday 25th April. Nationally, the RDA were pleased to announce that Phil Packer, an Iraq War veteran, who lost the use of both of his legs during the battle of Basra, and Winner of the Helen Rollanson Award at the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year has chosen the RDA as one of his partner charities. It is known as the “26” Project. Phil walked the 26 miles of the Marathon course taking 26 hours in aid of 26 charities; a great achievement! Finally…… a reminder that the Hadleigh Show is on Saturday 15th May; the Centre will have a Stand there so please come and visit us, don’t be shy.
Further editions of my blog will be uploaded shortly - make sure you come back soon! Meanwhile, if you want to catch up, ‘back-issues’ can be viewed by clicking HERE.
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Ebony
