Riding school 'won't give up' despite funding gap

A riding school that provides discount pony lessons to inner city children "means everything" to the young people involved, its boss has said.

Park Palace Ponies in Dingle, Liverpool, will close on 28 June if it does not raise the nearly £300,000 it needs to secure funding for three years.

Staff have now been given redundancy notices but chairwoman Pamela Allen said they "won't give up without a fight".

A fundraising campaign earlier this year raised £4,000, which covered public liability insurance and a riding school licence.

The school offers riding lessons to children between the ages of five and 10.

It is funded by the lessons and had also been relying on donations from a benefactor since it was made a charity last September, but the Good Samaritan can no longer afford to support the school amid rising costs.

The school previously said it had applied for grants.

Ms Allen said: "This has been a heartbreaking time.

"But we're not giving up without a fight.

"This space means everything to our young people and our wider community. This is our city."

Set up in 2017, the charity has won several awards for its work, including a Queen's Award for Voluntary Service.

Trustee Karen Scott said: "This is about more than horses.

"This is about saving a community space that brings joy, purpose, and unity."

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