Ponies steal the show at Waitrose fundraiser

PHOTOS BY PAUL KING

Two ponies stole the show when Waitrose in Wokingham joined forces with a local horse charity.

Shoppers visiting the Waitrose store in Rectory Road, Wokingham, were surprised when they came face to face with two little rescue ponies called Luca and Seguro.

The ponies and their handlers were part of the Save Abandoned Fly-grazing Equines (SAFE), a local charity based in Crowthorne. Founded in 2014, SAFE was established in response to a lo cal crisis when 38 horses and ponies were left abandoned in a field in Binfield, Berkshire. SAFE is run by a small group of horse-loving volunteers across Berkshire and Surrey. They give up their time on a regular basis to help horses and ponies who have been abandoned or neglected, keeping them ‘SAFE’ and away from harm. The fundamental objectives of the organisation are the 3 R’s – Rescue, Rehabilitate and Rehome.

Waitrose store manager Linda told My Wokingham: “It’s nice to get involved with local charities and it’s lovely to see that local people have come to support this great local charity.”

The team from SAFE were delighted that following their visit to Waitrose, they managed to raise £811 which will go towards helping them to pay their bills.

A spokesman for SAFE said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to Waitrose & Partners, Wokingham, for their kind hospitality and support. A group of our wonderful volunteers and our ponies Luca and Seguro, spent the day outside the store with a tombola and ‘meet and greet’ corner. Our boys definitely stole the show.

“The staff were so supportive and even brought us all a lovely cup of coffee which was much appreciated. Educating members of the public about the UK horse crisis and raising funds go hand-in-hand. People were shocked to hear our horses’ back stories and didn’t realise that horses are abandoned and/ or neglected and left to suffer.”

At Waitrose they are keen to give back to the community. Partners working in each branch make the decisions as to which local causes they would like to support. In addition to local donations, they also support national charities each quarter with a donation of £25,000, split between three charities that align with the same theme as shop donations.