As part of the RDA Volunteers Week, Belvoir Vale’s volunteer Sophie Heath was featured on the North Midlands RDA Facebook page, sharing her experience of being a RDA Young Volunteer:

I want to be able to help people who love horses as much as I do so I am now volunteering with Belvoir Vale RDA group in their new home in Cropwell Bishop. It’s great for me to use my skills to help others and look after the horses as well. I am now riding Tommy alongside my volunteering, he is a super star and I love riding him.

The team are all so lovely everyone just clicks together and we all get the job done which is helping others gain their own goals and looking after all the lovely horses to make sure they are all happy as well.

I think no matter what you do or whatever your difficulties are being around horses for me is a way of using my passion to build up my knowledge and experiences in something I love doing. I learn through repetition and visualisation so riding horses is perfect for my learning and me.

I really like being able to give something back and helping others doing something I love and am passionate about.

Sophie’s message for anyone who wants to start their volunteering journey with RDA:
“It’s not just about one thing that stands out for me. It’s the whole experience of being part of a fantastic group, the people the horses, being able to help others and spend as much time as I can to help the group, this makes me happy!”

Thank you Sophie for everything you do at Belvoir Vale RDA and if after reading Sophie’s account of her role as a volunteer has made you want to come down to check out the possibility of volunteering yourself, then we would love to hear from you.