New Projects Officer

Introducing our new Projects and Funding Officer – Christine Rust

Hello, I’m Christine Rust and I joined Essex Bridleways Association in June this year as the Projects and Funding Officer, taking over from Mary Pengelly who has relocated to Cornwall leaving ‘big boots’ for me to fill. Until August 2019, I was employed by Maldon District Council as Community Development Officer and was with the Council for 29 years, 21 of which as their Community Development Officer. A good part of my work required me to start and manage projects, mainly to do with health and wellbeing. I also organised and ran events, wrote funding bids and managed the Council’s Community Grant Scheme. Much of my work was in partnership with local Primary Care Trusts and Voluntary Services for the benefit of the community. Since leaving the Council I now volunteer for Colchester Garrison Riding for the Disabled Group (RDA) and am training to become a Coach. My new role with Essex Bridleways Association (EBA) gives me the chance to work with another group of people with whom I am very familiar, namely the horse riding community. I have ridden since the age of 3, keeping and competing my own horses and ponies since the age of 12. With my daughter Immi I own a Connemara mare, Welsh Cob Section D gelding, and during lockdown we bred a sports horse filly (stable name Bella) by a part-bred Arab Sports Horse stallion ‘Heritage Arrakis’ who stands at the Heritage Coast Stud in Suffolk. You can see Bella in my photo. My role entails looking at maintenance issues in general and seeking solutions. I am also looking at ways we can attract funding for specific projects. I am passionate about access for all to outside green spaces which we all know benefits our general health and mental wellbeing. There should be room for us all to co-exist safely. Joining EBA gives me the opportunity to work in partnership with like-minded people, some of whom volunteer to protect and extend our network of bridleways and to keep them open and usable for the benefit of the community. The extensive programme of rides put on the by the EBA Rides Coordinators and volunteers, which help to highlight the varied routes that we have across Essex give people the opportunity to explore areas that they may not have been aware of. Together with Alison Power, the representative for Castle Point, I am currently working on a local network of routes in the area of Benfleet known as Thundersley where off-road tracks are ever more in demand, owing to the increasing amount of construction traffic in the area. Riders are currently unable to use some of these tracks because of boggy patches and access by vehicles which is causing further damage. This is forcing riders to spend longer on the public highway, which places them at risk. Anything we can do to reduce this risk should be explored.

Christine and Bella