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Hemel Hempstead’s leading business campus, Breakspear Park, is delighted to announce that local charity Gaddesden Place Riding for the Disabled – a dedicated RDA Centre offering people of all ages with disabilities and complex needs the opportunity to participate in a range of equine-based activities – has been crowned the final winner of its 2023 community charity campaign.

The Community Fund campaign was launched to support Hertfordshire-based charities, not-for-profit groups and services amid the current cost-of-living crisis. It received an incredible response from the public and employees at Breakspear Park, who all nominated local charities and then voted for the winner.

The finalists in this round were Charlie’s Gift, Abilities in Me Foundation and Gaddesden Place Riding for the Disabled. With 1,368 votes in total, every charity was a worthy winner, but Gaddesden Place pipped the others to the winning post with 54% of the votes.

Last week, Carol Baxter, Trustee and Secretary at Gaddesden Place, was presented with a cheque for £1,000 by the marketing manager at Breakspear Park, Dina Mistry.

Carol Baxter from GPRD with Sharon (Breakspear Park)

On winning, Carol said:

“Gaddesden Place is run as a self-funding charity, and every penny it raises goes towards operating the centre and providing life-changing activities for all its participants. Since Covid, things have not been easy, so we are extremely grateful for this donation. A huge thank you to Breakspear Park for the donation and to everyone who voted for us.”

Dina Mistry, Marketing Manager at Breakspear Park, added:

“Gaddesden Place Riding for the Disabled embodies the spirit of resilience and inclusivity, so we were delighted to crown them the final winner of our 2023 Community Fund. We were genuinely inspired by the transformative impact they bring to the lives of so many in our local area.

“We launched this campaign to reach out beyond the walls of Breakspear Park and give back to the areas we live and work in, and we’ve been blown away by the sheer number of inspirational groups and charities there are in Hertfordshire. We wish we could have helped them all, but thank you to everyone who has taken the time to nominate and vote.

"This year we’ve donated a total of £4,000 to our four winners: the A-T Society – a charity supporting people with Ataxia-Telangiectasia (AT), a rare and complex genetic disorder affecting multiple systems in the body; Pets in Need Herts – a not-for-profit animal food bank that supports low-income local people with taking care of their pets; Playskill – a charity that supports children with physical disabilities and delays, and their families across Hertfordshire, and now Gaddesden Place Riding for the Disabled. Watch this space for our 2024 plans.”

Gaddesden Place triumphs as the final winner of Breakspear Park's 2023 Community Fund