How our training, events and tailored funding support helped a local equine therapy group secure a £35,000 grant.
Nestled within the beautiful countryside just outside of Ilminster lies The Heard Therapy CIC – home to horses Reggie, Star, Darcy, Tigger and Gizmo, and the base for client-centred equine psychotherapy in south Somerset.
The organisation has been providing one-to-one support for young people and their families since 2022, and the team have been successful in applying for small grants to provide confidential counselling and therapy that allows their clients to develop, grow and make positive changes.
However, in order to ensure that their services remain affordable, accessible and inclusive, a larger and more sustainable pool of funding was needed.
“Applying to a larger funder was quite daunting!” Says Tracy Rousell, Voluntary Director of The Heard Therapy. “Spark Somerset hosted a ‘Meet the Funder’ with the People’s Postcode Lottery which gave us a really useful insight into what they were looking for in a grant application and helped us understand how to present our work effectively.”
Following the event, Tracy contacted our Funding Development Manager, Bev Smith, for further support.
“Bev provided some really useful feedback to strengthen our submission, whilst also boosting our confidence in the work we had already done.”
“The support we’ve received from Spark Somerset has made a real difference to our confidence, capacity and ultimately our ability to continue developing The Heard Therapy and reaching more people who need our support.“
Tracy Rousell, Voluntary Director of The Heard Therapy
With Bev’s guidance, Tracy submitted a successful application to the Lottery.
“We have been awarded £35,000 of unrestricted funding over three years”, she explains. “We’ll be able to surface a new pen area, allowing us to have two therapists working at the same time which will significantly increase the number of clients we see. We’re also looking at improving our technology and systems to reduce administration time, meaning we can focus on what really matters – supporting children, young people, adults and families.
“The support we’ve received from Spark Somerset has made a real difference to our confidence, capacity and ultimately our ability to continue developing The Heard Therapy and reaching more people who need our support.
“The whole team are incredibly helpful, and the various event, training and support offered are invaluable to us a small volunteer-led organisation.”
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