News Archive….
Find out what’s been happening at the Diamond Centre…
You can find our newsletters here
Staff Update – June 2022
A big well done to Maz, Ffion, Faye and Kate for their new equine qualifications and training. What amazing staff we have here at Diamond! Maz has passed her RDA carriage driving coach qualification Ffion has passed her RDA Group Coach Faye passed her stage 2 riding...
Diamond Wishlist
A massive thank you to those that have already donated via our Amazon wishlist (a list on amazon.com for things our for horses and ponies love or need). At the moment the ponies would love some fly spray and the grooms would love some new brooms! We have recently...
Welcome to Gypsy
Welcome to our newest pony Gypsy! Gypsy is a 13.2hh piebald cob who joined Diamond in May. She is going to join Daisy as one of our driving ponies. Gypsy was born in 2009, and is a very elegant lady with half a wall (blue) eye. Gypsy loves being out in the field and...
National volunteer appreciation week – Thank you to our AMAZING volunteers!
VOLUNTEERS' WEEK 2022 A time to say thanks! Volunteers' Week is an annual celebration of the contribution millions of people make across the UK through volunteering. We want to recognise the fantastic contribution volunteers make and say thank you....
We need volunteers to lead & help with horses!
We always welcome volunteers for any of our activities both with the horses and with general help around the site and external events and fundraising (please see website for details of specific types of volunteering -...
Launching ‘Tea with a Pony’
This is a new activity for us, aimed at those with dementia, where our participants can spend time with our horses and ponies, to enjoy the therapeutic benefits they can bring. Sessions will include spending time with ponies, tea, cake and lots of chats with other...
Bio-mechanics Lecture Demo, May 28th – Book your tickets now
If you have ever wanted to know how horses move and how we as riders impact their movement, this is the talk for you! Led by Sarah McDonald, the talk is on 28th May at 6.30pm at the Diamond centre. Tickets are £5 for Diamond vonlunteers & £7.50 for anyone else -...
Ever thought about fundraising for Diamond but not sure where to start?
Ever thought about fundraising for Diamond but not sure where to start? Why not join Banstead Rotary Club for their sponsored walk! https://www.bansteadrotary.com/charity-walk-2022
Are you ready for the Quiz?! 30th April 2022
The Quiz Night is on, hosted by the ever-popular Sandra Longley who has hosted Quiz Nights for us previously. The evening includes a fish 'n chip supper (or alternative) and is always great fun. More details to follow.
Diamond In-House Dressage
Congratulations to all our riders who took part in our in-house dressage competition on the 6th March. Everyone had put in lots of practice which really showed on the day. A big thank you to our judge who stepped in at the last minute and judged both the morning and...
Horse Sponsorship
Kiki and Boris are currently looking for sponsors. To find out more, please call the office (020 8643 7764) or drop us an email admin@diamondcentre.org.uk!
Fundraising Committee Update
Fundraising Following an enforced break due to COVID-19 the Santa Sleigh door to door collections were back on for Christmas. Ten people from Diamond supported the Carshalton Park Rotary collection and we received a donation of £500. A similar event organised by...
Zora
Our resident mouser Zora understandably has lots of fans amongst our riders and volunteers. Unfortunately, because of all the treats she receives, she doesn’t feel the need to catch mice anymore! Therefore, we politely ask that you refrain from giving her Dreamies and...
Show Jumping
We were very lucky to be awarded a grant from the British Horse Society last year to buy some new jump wings and thanks to your very generous Secret Santa donations were able to buy cups for the wings. As such, we were able to run our very first RDA show jumping...
Welcome Marty!
Marty (14 hh, 9 yo gelding) joined us in February 2022 and is already working in non-disabled and RDA lessons. Marty’s gentle nature, striking dun colouring and good looks are quickly gaining him lots of fans. Welcome to Diamond you very special horse!
Thank you – Secret Santa!
We would you like to thank you all for your very generous contributions to last year’s Secret Santa. With your kind donations, we have been able to buy lots of much needed equipment to keep our horses fit, well and happy. They thank you very much!
Building the Diamond Centre
In December we had a visit from David Taylor, who worked for an architectural practice back in the early 1970’s and was the Project Architect responsible for designing the centre and overseeing the building works. David got to know Keith Webb, the founder of the...
Staff Update
We have welcomed two new staff members to the Diamond Centre since the last newsletter. Dawn joined us in September 2021. She is an experienced Groom/Instructor with over 15 years teaching experience. She has been teaching our non-disabled and RDA riders as well as...
Website Updates!
We have been busy making improvements to our website to provide more information for our users, volunteers and supporters. Extra information is now available on our riding and other horse related activities, including our new ‘Tea with a Pony’ sessions. We have...
RDA Creative Writing Competition 2022
Creative Writing Competition 2022 Entries are now open for this year’s RDA Creative Writing Competition! As in previous years, there are three classes for participants to choose from: An RDA Letter An RDA Short Story An RDA Poem There will be a prize for the overall...
The Princess Royal celebrates 50 years of RDA involvement!
The opening of Diamond in 1974The Princess Royal has supported RDA for 50 years, after becoming Patron in 1971 and President in 1985. To mark this milestone, the Princess visited RDA National Office on 5th November 2021 and launched the Princess Royal Coaching Academy...
Congratulations to Pam and Chris!
We are so proud of Chris Clay and Pam Bull who received their prestigious Presidents Awards from the Princess Royal at @RDAnational on 5th November in recognition of their lifetime devotion to the RDA and the Diamond Centre. Well done Chris and Pam! Celebrating 50...
Support Diamond while you shop!
Co-op members can choose to raise funds for Diamond! Every time a member swipes their card, an amount will be donated towards their chosen cause. Members have raised £84 million for over 25,000 causes since 2016 To collect rewards and contribute to your cause, members...
Can you spare a bottle?
Please donate a bottle for our bottle tombola for our open day! It can be anything alcohol, ketchup, coke, tonic water, squash etc! Please bring them to reception before the 5th Dec.Thank you!
Contact us!
020 8643 7764
The Diamond Centre for Disabled Riders
Woodmansterne Road,
Carshalton, Surrey, SM5 4DT
https://what3words.com/modest.cheese.basket
(please note, if you are travelling to us we are in the LEZ & new ULEZ zone)
Other important info....
Registered charity number: 1045970.
The London Borough of Sutton, Animal Activity License, Hiring out horses, Licence Number: 22/00380/RIDE