Advice/Education

Movement for Good Award for ground-breaking horse owner support project

We are delighted to be chosen for a £10,000 Movement for Good Award

Posted on 16/11/2022

Birth of first foal from rescued ‘smuggled’ Dover 26 horses

We are delighted to have been chosen by a panel of judges to receive a £10,000 Movement for Good Award from SEIB Insurance Brokers and the Benefact Group. The award will support our Horse Owner Support Project.

Our network of Field Officers around the country have discovered that behind an increasing number of the welfare concerns they investigate are struggling owners who are experiencing their own mental and/or physical ill health, financial or age-related difficulties. These people are often isolated, and our Field Officers are sometimes the only outside contact they have, and this brings with it a weight of responsibility to ensure these people also receive the social care support they need.

The Horse Owner Support Project will provide a number of resources, such as creating materials spreading the message about help available, through to keeping our highly trained Field Officers on the road responding to requests for assistance. By doing this we will be able to keep more people and their horses together for longer, improving the quality of their lives and that of their animals. With over 3,500 welfare reports made to us every year, any one of these could involve someone in desperate need of help. This grant will help the Field Officers be there for every single one.

‘‘This grant will advance our project to raise awareness that assistance is available and will help us reach vulnerable owners in need of practical support and advice. By offering early intervention, we aim to prevent situations unravelling and reaching crisis point.’’
Roly Owers, World Horse Welfare Chief Executive

The awards are designed to help charities make a real difference in their communities. More than 500 charities applied for the funding which is being put towards the advancement of heritage and arts, education, rural and community, climate, human rights and equality. The winning projects were selected against four criteria: impact and effectiveness, sustainability, innovation, and care and compassion.

“At Benefact Group we believe business should be a force for good. More than ever, charitable causes need sustained support and a sense of financial stability. Through our Movement for Good larger-grant awards, we are championing a more imaginative way of supporting charities so that they can have some certainty in these challenging times. We know our funding can be a lifeline to those who are struggling with cost-of-living increases and a grant of this scale can make a huge difference to the incredible work that charities do.
“Benefact Group is the fourth largest corporate donor in the UK and has an ambition to be the biggest. Owned by a charity, all our available profits go to good causes, and the more the Group grows, the more the Group can give. As a company whose purpose is to contribute to the greater good of society, charitable giving is at the heart of what we do.”
Mark Hews, Group Chief Executive of Benefact Group

The award is a share of £500,000 as part of Benefact Group’s Movement for Good Awards, which is giving over £1million to good causes this year. Movement for Good is funded by EIO plc, part of the Benefact Group.