News
Posted on February 27th, 2020
SEIB Insurance Brokers to give £50K to charity
Ten charities have made it through to the final stage of voting in the 2020 SEIB Insurance Brokers Charity Giving Awards. £50,000 will be split between the charities at the SEIB Charity Awards Luncheon at the Leonardo Royal London City Hotel on Friday 20th March 2020.
Following nominations by the general public, SEIB customers have had the final say on how much each charity will receive of the £50,000.
The grant from SEIB must be used for a specific project which will make a difference to the good cause and help with their charitable efforts. The 10 finalists in the 2020 SEIB Charity Awards have already supplied detailed plans for their project and have had to meet a stringent process of due-diligence. All charities are to be UK registered and the projects must be UK based, past winners are not eligible for the major sums on offer.
The ten finalist charities and their projects for 2020 are:
Bransby Horses – Keeping horses safe. Following devastating flooding, Bransby needs to adjust by moving 59 horses to a new site. The SEIB grant would help purchase an all-terrain-vehicle and a mobile stable unit for the new site.
Doris Banham Dog Rescue – Thermal kennels to give pound dogs their last chance to live. The SEIB grant would finance the build of a block of 10 thermal kennels to give a final chance for dogs due for euthanasia who have been abandoned at council pounds or brought in to be put to sleep at veterinary surgeries.
Gaddesden Place RDA – Mechanical horse for physical and psychological therapy. The purchase of the mechanical horse with the SEIB grant money would increase the number of riders participating in a beneficial RDA activity without needing more ponies or grazing.
Hope Pastures – A centre of excellence for laminitis prevention and recovery. The SEIB grant would be used to create a dedicated unit to show-case best practice for laminitis in a practical way and pass on expertise to others.
Hope Rescue – Sensory garden project. The garden is planned to help rescue dogs and volunteers to get out and play and interact with one another. The SEIB grant would be used to purchase fencing for the garden.
Once Upon A Smile – Facilities to provide emotional support to bereaved families. The SEIB grant would be used for the charity’s new Sidley House. It would finance lego therapy, new flooring, a sound proof room and to update the toilet facilities.
Redwings – Purpose built donkey barn. The existing donkey barn at Redwings is 30 years old and set for demolition. The SEIB Grant would be used for a new donkey facility to support the health and welfare needs of the donkeys.
South Essex Wildlife Hospital – Wildlife rehabilitation unit. The hospital sees around 10,000 animals each year and aims to provide a specialist facility for an increasing number of sick, orphaned and injured wildlife.
The Flicka Foundation – Vital donkey transport vehicle. The charity’s current vehicle has high mileage, is unreliable and costly to repair. The SEIB grant would be used to purchase a second-hand, custom converted horse lorry.
The Horse Trust – Multi use large animal rescue education unit. The charity currently delivers award-winning training for emergency responders, providing them with the skills needed to deal with horses during frightening and life-threatening situations. The new unit would allow for courses to be delivered across the country.
Always known for ‘putting something back’, SEIB is a commercial business with a charitable purpose. The company insures numerous charities and not for profit organisations. SEIB is an independent broker but is ultimately owned by a charity called the Allchurches Trust Limited and profits are used for good causes.
To find out more about each of the finalists and their projects please visit: www.seib.co.uk/giving
Photo: SEIB Insurance Brokers CEO, Barry Fehler and directors, Suzy Middleton and Bipin Thaker present the 2019 SEIB charity cheque to Roly Owers and Emma Williams of World Horse Welfare.
Credit – Trevor Meeks
Posted on February 20th, 2020
Good ground heralds bumper entry
Higham Races is defying the odds by declaring Good going ahead of their Waveney Harriers meeting this weekend, Sunday 23rd February. Not only have the weather Gods seemingly smiled on the East Anglian fixture, but the entries have flooded in with a field of 109 across six races.
Storms Ciara and Dennis have wreaked havoc on the Point-To-Pointing calendar across the past two weeks, with further cancellations appearing almost daily. Suffolk’s Higham Races is, however, bucking the trend with Good going and a bumper entry.
“We are thrilled with the number of entries, the most at Higham for quite some years and this should yield some competitive racing. The quantum of entries is due the free draining ground at Higham which should produce Good ground throughout for racing this weekend, when so many other areas of the country are unfortunately waterlogged” commented Racecourse Director, Gi D’Angibau.
Course inspections on Saturday 15th and Tuesday 18th both confirmed the going as Good, with a Good to Soft area. All of the bends have been moved onto fresh ground, from January’s meeting, and the course is looking in great shape.
Racing gets underway at 12 noon with two pony races ahead of the main fixture.
Photo: Equuis Photography/Jason Bax
Posted on February 11th, 2020
Last chance for your horse to win an RSPCA Honour!
After a pony survived life threatening burns and went on to be honoured at last year’s event, the RSPCA Honours will once again celebrate the work of people and animals at an emotional star-studded red carpet event, taking place this summer.
From incredible animals, to those who devote their lives to animals – like pony Elsa who survived against the odds – the RSPCA Honours celebrates true animal champions. Now the charity wants you to nominate a worthy winner from your area for the 2020 awards.
Last year’s winners included Elsa, who suffered horrific burns to her back legs, but amazed vets with her astonishing recovery. She was awarded the prestigious Survivor Animal Award by judges who were so impressed by the plucky pony’s strength and will to live, though they struggled to read her harrowing tale.
Lisa Paulin, manager at RSPCA Felledge Equine Centre has been by Elsa’s side since she was first rescued three years ago.
She said: “I am delighted Elsa won the award, her story was inspirational of how a horse without hope can demonstrate such bravery despite their dreadful start. Credit must go out to the entire team at the equine centre for their hard work and compassion during this rehabilitation process, I am proud of them all.”
Now the charity is looking for this year’s inspiring stories and needs you to nominate a worthy winner.
The RSPCA Honours is an opportunity to recognise and honour people and organisations that help to make the lives of animals better through kindness, courage, determination and innovation. Awards are given for everything from outstanding service to animals, exceptional contributions to animal welfare, heroic rescue stories or the amazing feats or bravery of the animals themselves.
If you know a very special person or animal worthy of winning one of the eight prestigious awards, visit www.rspca.org.uk/honourspr to nominate them now. Nominations are open online until 13th February, and entries will be reviewed by a panel of famous faces including Deborah Meaden.
Winners and nominees will be invited to the glitzy red carpet award ceremony held at 8 Northumberland on 16th July, where celebs and animal champions will be in the audience to celebrate their fantastic achievements.
The ceremony is set to be a star-studded event: last year’s event was hosted by comedian John Bishop, and attended by RSPCA VIP supporters Deborah Meaden, Peter Egan, Kate Lawler, Dougie Poyner, Pete Wicks, Evanna Lynch and Eyal Booker.
