Selkirk children's horse charity faces cash-flow hurdle
- Published
Children learn horse skills while gaining confidence at the site near Selkirk
A support service in the Scottish Borders is facing a funding crisis due to rising bills and falling income.
Selkirk-based Stable Life currently helps about 50 young people each week to improve their mental health and confidence.
Despite an increase in referrals since the Covid pandemic, the equine charity is struggling to survive.
Chief executive Mags Powell said: "We find ourselves at a point where we desperately need £40,000."
Championed and supported in the past by funding providers such as BBC Children in Need and Comic Relief, Stable Life has helped more than 1,000 young people turn their lives around over the past decade with the help of their 16 horses.
As well as creating positive relationships with the horses and learning equine skills, the youngsters can progress to obtain SQA horse care and rural skills awards, as well as becoming volunteers with the charity.
Stable Life has won countless awards for its unique and effective approach to tackling young people's issues.
Graeme Easton and Mags Powell hope that services will not have to be cut
Annual operational costs for the charity, which employs 14 members of staff, had been about £300,000.
Through continuous fundraising, grant applications and commercial income - from riding lessons, hacking sessions, livery and venue rental - it has managed to not only to pay the bills but also continue growing and improving.
However, during and since the pandemic, funding streams are proving less lucrative, commercial income is dropping and costs for heating and fuel have increased significantly.
Ask for help
Ms Powell said: "Our income reduced during Covid - both the grants and the commercial income - and that hasn't shown any signs of recovering.
"At the same time there's never been such demand for our services.
"We have always worked with young people between the ages of 10 and 18, but now we are being asked to work with children much younger who have been struggling since the pandemic.
"We have always been supported so well by the community and the funders, but we find ourselves with a hole to fill and we have no option but to go out and ask for more help."
More than 1,000 young people have benefited from Stable Life's work
Board members believe the charity will need to find an additional £200,000 over the next 18 months to stay afloat, starting with a £40,000 hole in current finances to see it through the winter.
An appeal to raise the money has raised more than £12,000 since it was launched last week.
Chairman Graeme Easton believes cutting services will be a last resort.
"It is a very difficult time for us," he said.
"There is a possibility that services will need to be reduced if we can't find the money, but we will look at everything else first as we know how valuable the service is that we provide.
"We are remaining positive, and just hope that we can attract enough funding to see us through."