Stable tours staged at world’s largest gathering of Shire horses

Photo courtesy of Jayne Cross

Visitors to the world’s largest gathering of Shire horses will be able to get up close to the gentle giants of the horse world in a series of special stable tours.

The Shire Horse Society, which is staging the three-day National Shire Horse Show in March 2018 at Bingley Hall, Staffordshire Showground near Stafford, is organising the tours as part of the event.

They are designed to give visitors an insight into what’s involved in preparing and showing a champion Shire horse, as well as an understanding of this magnificent breed.

“The Shire horse has played an immense role in our history, but as a breed it is still regarded as an endangered species, with fewer than 300 pedigree Shire horse foals registered every year,” said Shire Horse Society secretary Victoria Clayton.

“The stable tours will be given by Shire horse owners, breeders and enthusiasts and will focus on everything from how to look after a Shire horse to how to prepare for a show.

“It’s a great opportunity for horse and animal lovers and those who like nostalgia to find out more about this magnificent breed, and to support the work we do, as a charity, to ensure that the Shire horse has a future.”

The show, which attracts around 250 pedigree Shires from across Europe, runs from 16^th to 18^th March, with stable tours being held on Saturday 17^th March and Sunday 18^th March.

Tickets are now on sale for the event, which is an ideal day out for all the family, featuring classes in the ring, trade stands, demonstrations and a children’s animal petting area. New for 2018 is the ridden quadrille – a choreographed ride to music which is often compared to an equestrian ballet.

Visitors will have the chance to buy tickets for the stable tours on arrival at the show on the Saturday and the Sunday.

Next year is a special one for the Shire Horse Society, as it marks the charity’s 140^th anniversary.

“This will be the third year we have held our national show – the world’s largest gathering of Shire horses – at Staffordshire Showground, and we hope that hundreds of people will join us to help with the celebrations,” added Victoria.

Adult tickets are £10 in advance or £12 on the gate, while tickets for children aged five to 13 years are £8 in advance or £10 on the gate. Children aged 14 years and over are charged at the adult price, while under fives enter free.

Gates open on Friday 16^th March at 8.30am and at 7am on Saturday 17^th and Sunday 18^th March.

For more details and ticket information about the show, visit http://www.shire-horse.org.uk or follow @saveourshires on Twitter or at www.facebook.com/shirehorsesociety

Press release issued by Nottingham based PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

J Tomlinson donates £500 to local RSPCA shelter

RSPCA Abbey Street receives a generous donation from J Tomlinson

Integrated building services company, J Tomlinson, has recently donated £500 to a Derby-based animal shelter.

Each year, the company invites internal sponsorship proposals, giving employees a chance to secure sponsorship for causes that are close to their hearts. This year, one of the chosen causes was the RSPCA Abbey Street Rehoming Centre.

Situated within Derby city centre, the Abbey Street shelter is one of 17 regional animal centres that the RSPCA runs across England and Wales. Staff and volunteers work tirelessly to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome animals across the district that have been victims of neglect and/or abuse. Depending on each animal’s unique situation, the process can include veterinary checks, veterinary treatment, providing insurance, spaying/neutering, hand-rearing and rehabilitation – all of which incurs a considerable cost.

Most of the animals that are brought to the centre have been rescued from neglectful/cruel conditions by national RSPCA inspectors; however, many are simply abandoned on the centre’s doorstep.

The centre is independently funded and as such depends on the generosity of the public and local businesses to continue its invaluable work. From maintenance bills and veterinary costs to the provision of specialist food and employee training, the centre costs a staggering £9,000 per week to run, with every single donation making a huge difference.

J Tomlinson will be sponsoring the ‘ASH’ kennel, which is currently home to Husky cross, Willow (pictured) and Patterdale cross, Oscar – both of whom have recently found new homes.

Mark Davis, CEO of J Tomlinson, commented: “As a company that places our local communities at the heart of everything we do, we are pleased to support the RSPCA Abbey Street shelter, and hope the donated amount will help the centre continue to help animals in need.”

Kerry Draper, Fundraising Manager for the centre, commented: “We are so pleased that J Tomlinson have chosen to support our independently-funded centre here at Abbey Street. Without support we would not be able to continue to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome these incredible animals. This kennel sponsorship will help fund towards veterinary care and enrichment of its residents. We were delighted by J Tomlinson’s visit to our centre; their warmth and compassion shone through for our animals in need. Once again, thank you.”

J Tomlinson, which is based at Beeston, near Nottingham, provides a range of integrated building solutions including construction, refurbishment, repairs and maintenance, mechanical and electrical services (M&E), and facilities management. It works primarily across the East Midlands, West Midlands and Yorkshire.

For more information about J Tomlinson, visit www.jtomlinson.co.uk

To find out more about the RSPCA Abbey Street Rehoming Centre, or to make a donation, visit www.rspcaderby.org.uk

Press release issued by Nottingham based PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

World’s largest gathering of Shire horses returns to Staffordshire for third year

Photo courtesy of Carol Stevens.

The organisers of the world’s largest gathering of Shire horses have announced that the show will once again be staged in Staffordshire.

The 2018 National Shire Horse Show will be held at Staffordshire Showground from 16^th to 18^th March – and is expected to attract more than 250 pedigree Shire horses.

Organised by the Shire Horse Society, which will be celebrating its 140^th anniversary in 2018, the event is a great day out for fans of the magnificent gentle giants of the horse world.

Visitors can watch the iconic breed being put through its paces in-hand, ridden and in harness – with the chance to find out more about Shire horses and their role throughout history.

New for 2018 is the ridden quadrille – a choreographed ride to music which is often compared to an equestrian ballet.

“This will be the third year that we have held the National Shire Horse Show at Staffordshire Showground and we look forward to welcoming visitors and competitors to the event, which is regarded as the largest gathering of Shires anywhere in the world,” said Shire Horse Society secretary Victoria Clayton.

“The show has been held at a limited number of venues in England over its long history, and is believed to be one of the oldest, almost continuous, horse shows in the world, having been held for the first time at the Royal Agricultural Hall in Islington, London, in 1880, when the charity was named the English Cart Horse Society.

“Next year is a special one for us as a charity because it marks our 140^th anniversary, and we hope that hundreds of spectators will join us in Staffordshire to celebrate, along with our members who do such a great job of preserving this wonderful breed, which is still regarded as endangered and needs our continuing support.”

Trade stand opportunities are available for traders who would like to have stalls at the event, which attracts thousands of competitors and spectators over three days of competition. A range of sponsorship opportunities is also available.

The iconic Shire breed was in danger of dying out just a few decades ago, and even now fewer than 500 new foals are registered every year by the Shire Horse Society. The charity has been running a Save Our Shires campaign to raise awareness about these gentle giants and numbers have steadily increased, thanks to the dedication of a band of enthusiasts.

Tickets for the 2018 show have remained at 2017 prices and have just gone on sale via the Shire Horse Society’s website www.shire-horse.org.uk

Adult tickets are £10 in advance or £12 on the gate, while tickets for children aged five to 13 years are £8 in advance or £10 on the gate are £10. Children aged 14 years and over are charged at the adult price, while under fives enter free.

Gates open on Friday 16^th March at 8.30am and at 7am on Saturday 17^th and Sunday 18^th March.

For more details and ticket information about the show, visit http://www.shire-horse.org.uk or follow @saveourshires on Twitter or at https://www.facebook.com/shirehorsesociety/

Press release issued by Nottingham based PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Focus Consultants on board with replica 17th century sailing ship scheme

Launch of the Lennox in 1678 by Richard Endsor

Funding and business planning experts, Focus Consultants, have been appointed to work on an exciting project which will result in the building and launching of a full-size replica of the Lenox, a 17^th century sailing ship and which will be a major new tourist attraction based at Convoys Wharf, Lewisham, London. 

Convoys Wharf, originally known as the Deptford Dockyard, opened in 1513 and was first used by Henry VIII to build his naval fleet. The HMS Lenox was commissioned under Charles II in 1678 as the first of 30 ships built during his reign to expand the Royal Navy into a leading force in Europe. 

Convoys Wharf, which lies within walking distance of other popular maritime attractions, such as the Cutty Sark, The National Maritime Museum and the Old Royal Naval College at Greenwich, has remained derelict for years. Now, planning consent has been granted for a major mixed-use waterfront development, encompassing both residential and commercial facilities. The Lenox project complements this development by highlighting the area’s unique maritime history.

As well as a replica of the Lenox, a new purpose-built visitor centre is planned which will display exhibits showcasing the history of the Royal Dockyard. It will also enable the public to see the ship’s construction, which is intended to be a mix of modern and traditional skills - the modern involving digitisation of the ship’s model and use of CNC routers to cut some of the timbers – and the traditional skills from the 17^th century, mirroring the Lenox’s original creation. The plans aim to create jobs for specialists in traditional wooden boatbuilding and will also include apprenticeship opportunities to ensure these skills will not be lost to future generations, whilst the use of modern skills is transferable into a wider range of industries. 

Nottingham-based Focus has been appointed by The Lenox Project, a registered charity, to develop a business plan for the project and to prepare funding bids to move the project onto the next stage of development.

Heather Frecklington, Partner at Focus Consultants, said: “This is a unique and extremely exciting project to be involved in. We are working closely with the Charity to set the project up to be a success and look forward to seeing this major London regeneration project come to fruition.”

Focus, which also has offices in London, Leicester and Boston in Lincolnshire, specialises in creative approaches to securing funding packages and delivering high quality projects across the UK. Since its creation in 1994, Focus has helped to secure more than £953 million of grant assistance for a range of projects and businesses across the UK and delivered more than £1.3 billion of projects and programmes – making it one of the most successful companies of its kind.

It also offers a range of services to the property and construction industry, including building surveying, quantity surveying, project management, and sustainable development support.

For more information, visit www.focus-consultants.co.uk

Press release issued by Nottingham based PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

BSP Consulting MD undertakes new challenge for MS research

Dave Sumner in the Lake District ahead of his walk for the MS Society

Managing director of East Midlands-based civil and structural engineering firm BSP Consulting, David Sumner, is preparing to lace up his boots for his latest fundraising challenge in aid of MS research.

Over the years, David and his supporters have raised thousands of pounds for the MS Society – a cause close to his heart, as his wife Pat has been living with the condition for more than 20 years.

In 2014, David raised more than £6,000 for MS Society research after climbing Mt Kilimanjaro.

In 2016, he took part in the 10in10 – an annual walk which conquers ten peaks in ten hours in the Lake District and which raises money for the charity to spend on research into the debilitating neurological condition.

After collecting almost £1,850 last year, he has decided to undertake the challenge for a second time and on 24^th June will be embarking on the walk once more with the aim of raising a further £2,000. But this time he hopes to ‘fell run’ most of the 16-mile distance.

“One of the main goals in MS research currently is to encourage repair of the damage to the myelin surrounding the nerve cell, hopefully restoring function to the nerve and protecting it from damage,” said David. “There are no treatments yet but research is making great strides all the time and is looking promising. The hope that one day there may be a treatment for this disease is what really spurs me on to continue fundraising.”

A total of £250,000 has been raised for research by the 10in10 challenge since it began in 2011 – created by Yvonne Booth in response to her husband Duncan’s diagnosis with Multiple Sclerosis in 2010, at the age of 39.

David, the MD of Nottingham-headquartered BSP Consulting, will be joining others for the 16-mile event, which starts at Newlands Valley near Keswick and takes in Causey Pike, Sail, Crag Hill, Wandope, Whiteless Pike, High Snockrigg, Robinson, Dale Head, High Spy, and Maiden Moor.

He has set up a fundraising page for donations here https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/David-Sumner2

“I am so grateful to all the colleagues, associates and clients in the construction sector in the East Midlands and beyond who have supported me most generously in the past, along with friends and family,” said David. “I really hope they can continue that superb support and help find a treatment for this devastating condition.”

BSP Consulting, which has its head office in Oxford Street, Nottingham, and branches in Derby, Leicester and Sheffield, provides a comprehensive range of consultancy services in civil, structural, geotechnical, transportation and environmental engineering to all sectors of the construction community, from architects, project managers and contractors to developers and estate agents. It was founded in 1999 and operates across the UK.

For more information, visit www.bsp-consulting.co.uk

Press release issued by Nottingham based PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk