Disabled riding charity fears future over access row

A charity which provides horse riding for disabled children says it fears for its future because of a dispute over footpaths on its land.

The Avon Centre in Bristol, has spent more than 40 years helping disabled and vulnerable children and adults through horse riding and outdoor activities.

It says a bid to create public rights of way across its woodland could create safety risks for riders, horses and volunteers: "It's an enormous threat to what we do," said therapeutic activities programme manager Kim Langbridge.

Bristol City Council said if objections are not withdrawn, the application will be passed to the Planning Inspectorate for a decision.

For Carrie Kingston's grandson Joby, who has special educational needs affecting his communication and ability to regulate his emotions, the charity provides much more than horse riding.

"Going out in the woods is a natural environment, his stress levels go down and today, for instance, he was singing spontaneously," she said.

"I've never heard him sing spontaneously, unless he was riding a horse in the woods."

Para-dressage rider Tegan Vincent-Cooke, who has quadriplegic cerebral palsy, said the centre was her "second home" growing up.

"There's not many opportunities like this for the disabled community, where they can ride their horses, they can go for a walk, and there's no danger," she said.

"I think that if it were to change, it could be dangerous for the horses, but also the individual that come here and see it as their second home."

Set up in 1980, the charity, based opposite Blaise Castle, operates across 95 acres of woodland, most of which which it owns.

In August it discovered an application had been made to Bristol City Council seeking to turn 33 paths on its estate into public rights of way.

If approved, walkers and their dogs would have unrestricted access to the routes.

Langbridge said she doesn't know the identity of the individual, or group of individuals, making the application but understands they are claiming they have used the paths for the last 20 years unchallenged, a legal condition for demanding public right of way.

"We certainly have had local people use the paths and never once expected them to want to formalise this situation," said Langbridge.

Langbridge said the Avon Centre have formally objected to the application but she believes that process could take six to nine months.

In the meantime, she said: "We will carry on doing what we do to the benefit of our riders and service users, while we wait to hear from the council."

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