Charlotte Walker is the Volunteer Representative on the Belvoir Vale RDA Trustee Board. She also works part time at a childrens’ day nursery having previously worked in the law, education and property sectors. Charlotte has enjoyed a lifelong love of horses, riding, hunting and competing from an early age – a passion she passed on to her now grown up daughters. But it wasn’t until recently that she got involved in RDA, joining Belvoir Vale RDA as a volunteer in March 2024. Charlotte says of her decision to volunteer: “I was unhappy in my job, my father died last year, my dog this year and I was feeling a bit lost. Being around the ponies has grounded me and healed my soul and I have made some lovely new friends in the process.”
Charlotte has seen first hand, as well as with family, friends and the participants at the centre, how even just spending time with horses can enhances people’s wellbeing and positivity, even in the face of otherwise bleak situations.
“In the RDA I see the joy the ponies give and the progress the children make through their weekly sessions. Whether riding, leading, grooming or simply watching the ponies, the children experience something completely different to their normal day to day life ; the enrichment and pleasure they get is plain to see.”
