Chloe Roberts and Anna Alcock ran the Bristol Half Marathon successfully on Sunday 11th September 2011 in aid of Greatwood - caring for retired racehorses and children with special needs...in a host of different ways. Donations and your support are the life blood of Greatwood.

It costs Greatwood £550,000 per annum to keep operating. Please do whatever you can to help Greatwood continue with their vital work.

In 2010, 20 years since Greatwood began and 11 years after the charity was founded, they have successfully re-homed hundreds of rescued racehorses and Horse Power has gone from strength to strength. They are lucky that a gifted qualified special needs teacher, Laura Jones, joined them and developed the programme content, which has now achieved an accreditation from the Open College Network. Wiltshire County Council and Swindon Borough Council have accredited the Health and Safety, Risk Management and Child Protection procedures.

Greatwood are now working with pupils from Wiltshire and the surrounding counties and the feedback from parents and teachers is extremely positive. Their work has also been featured on Children In Need, who are one of their main supporters.

Greatwood's ultimate aim is to rehome the horse. A firm contract is put in place whereby the horses cannot be sold on or moved without Greatwood's agreement and regular welfare checks are undertaken, ensuring care for life. However, they cannot always rehome a horse due to the nature of the horse’s injuries, which is why they cannot be categorised purely as a retraining centre.

The majority of the horses they take in are flat horses, as opposed to National Hunt. The rescued horses may be damaged mentally and physically, and therefore the period of time required to ‘get them back on their feet’ again may be significant.

Greatwood provides fulfilling futures for former racehorses and children with special educational needs through their interaction in unique programmes of rehabilitation and education in a secure and caring environment.

Greatwood is a recognised racehorse welfare charity that has influenced the lives of hundreds of former racehorses.

Horse Power is an exciting and unique programme, where children with special educational needs learn life skills through interaction with the horses, that for whatever reason, cannot be rehomed.

So please, any donation is appreciated and put to excellent use, allowing Greatwood to carry on going with their vital work. Thank you, Anna and Chloe x